<i^. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


'ff  ''^  IlillM 


1^ 


2.0 


1.8 


1.25 

1.4 

1.6 

-^ 6"     - 

► 

V] 


& 


/a 


e. 


^ 


Ta 


^l 


M.>. 


sm,. 


w^'w 


'/ 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


#^ 


V 


iV 


■'S^ 


o 


^ 


o^ 


. 


^ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  institute  for  Historical  IVIicroreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  at  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
originaE  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  wnich  may  be  bibllographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 


D 


H 


n 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


r~~|    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommag6e 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurte  et/ou  pelllculAe 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  gAographiques  en  couleur 


□    Coloured  inic  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (I.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  Illustrations  en  couleur 


Bound  with  other  matei  iai/ 
RellA  avec  d'autres  documents 


n^    Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 


along  Interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr^e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 

distortion  ie  long  de  la  marge  intArieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certalnes  pages  blenches  aJoutAes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  ie  texte, 
male,  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  it'ont 
pas  At6  film6es. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplAmentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meiiieur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibllographlque,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  methods  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquAs  cl-dessous. 


I      I   Coloured  pages/ 


D 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^es 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  peliiculdes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  d6color6es,  tachet^es  ou  piqu6es 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d^tsch^es 


I      I   Showthrough/ 


Transparence 


I      I   Quality  of  print  varies/ 


Quality  in6gale  de  I'impression 

includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplAmentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
sMps,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  fiimtes  A  nouveau  de  fapon  i 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmA  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  cl-dessous 

10X                           14X                            1IX                           22X 

26X 

aox 

7 

12X 


16X 


20X 


a4x 


28X 


32X 


} 

itails 
I  du 
lodifier 
r  une 
Image 


The  copy  filmsd  hare  hat  baan  raproducad  thank* 
to  tha  ganarosity  of  : 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 

Tha  imagaa  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quciity 
possibia  considaring  tha  condition  and  legibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  tpacifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — »-  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


L'exempiaire  filmA  fut  reproduit  grAce  A  la 
gAnArositA  da: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 

Les  images  suivantas  ont  M  reproduites  avac  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattetA  de  l'exempiaire  film*,  et  en 
conformity  avac  les  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmage. 

Les  exemplairas  originaux  dont  la  couvarture  en 
papier  est  imprimAe  sont  fiimAs  en  commen^ant 
par  le  premier  plat  at  en  tvminant  soit  par  la 
darniire  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  fiimAs  en  commengant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  das  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
darnidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ".  la 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN  ". 


l\Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  plan<:has,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
filmAs  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diff^rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dt<-e 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  film*  A  partir 
de  I'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n^cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrant  la  mithode. 


irrata 
to 


pelure, 
ni 


□ 

32X 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

4 


^!!fPWMp.J 


I 

4- 


BULLETIN 


OF  THE 


DEPARTMENT    OF    LABOR. 


No.  16. 


WASHINGTON. 


May,  1898. 


THE   ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS  AND    THE  OPPORTUNITIES    THEY 
OFFER  FOR  CAPITAL  AND  LABOR. 


BY   SAM.   0.  DUNHAM. 

[Recognizing  the  desire  for  trustworthy  information  relating  tx)  the 
opp(»rtunitiea  for  remunerative  employment  of  American  labor  and 
capital  in  the  gold  regions  in  the  Yukon  Valley  and  adjoining  territory, 
Mr.  Samuel  C.  Dunham,  of  this  Department,  was  directed  to  proceed 
to  Alaska  and  to  the  locality  of  the  gold  regions  for  the  purpose  of 
making  an  oftlcial  investigation.  The  Department  was  in  receipt  of  so 
many  inquiries  relative  to  wages,  cost  of  living,  and  other  matters 
relating  to  the  mining  industry  in  Alaska  that  it  was  deemed  advisable 
to  ii.v.ke  the  investigation.  Instructions  were  given  Mr.  Dunham  July 
29, 1897,  and  he  left  Washington  on  the  31st.  Mr.  Dunham  was  selected 
because  of  his  experience  of  twelve  years  or  more  in  gold  and  silver 
mining  districts,  his  familiarity  with  mining  processes  and  the  habits 
(if  miners  fitting  him  thoroughly  for  the  proi>o  d  inquiry.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  knowledge  of  mining  matters,  he  is  an  expert  stenographer, 
which  qualification  has  enabled  him  to  take  down  statements  for  his 
report  when  made  to  him,  thus  avoiding  the  necessity  of  depending 
upon  memory  for  transcription. 

Mr.  Dunham's  rei)ort  is  herewith  given  to  the  pxiblic.  It  brings 
matters  up  to  .lanuary  8, 1898.  In  transmitting  his  report  Mr.  Dunham 
informs  the  Department  of  the  great  difficulties  that  he  had  to  overcome 
in  securing  information.  These  difficulties  arose  in  many  ways,  chiefiy 
in  the  verification  of  statements,  and  from  the  habits  of  miners  to  exag- 
gerate their  accounts  of  output  and  conditions.  Only  personal  obser- 
vations could  secure  the  real  facts. 

Mr.  Dunhiuii  acknowiodges  his  indebtedness  for  courtesies  and 
assistance  extended  by  lion.  Joseph  W,  Ivey,  collector  of  customs  for 

297 


] 


298 


BULLETIN   OF   THE    DEPARTMENT   OF   LABOR. 


tlie  district  of  Alaska,  Sitka;  C.  Coiistaiitine,  inspector  Northwest 
mounted  police,  Dsvwson,  Northwest  Territory;  Capt.  J.  E.  Lanseu, 
assistant  superintendent  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,  D  .usou; 
Capt.  John  J.  Healey,  manager  of  the  North  American  Transpo  tatiou 
and  Trading  Company,  Dawson;  Hon.  John  E.  Crane,  United  dtates 
commissioner.  Circle  City,  Alaska;  Mr.  Charles  Smith,  deputy  C(  "-^".tor 
of  customs,  Circle  City;  Mr.  Howard  Turner,  agent  Alaska  Commercial 
Comi)any,  Circle  City;  Mr.  George  E.  King,  agent  North  American 
Transportation  and  Trading  Company,  Circle  City;  Mr.  W.  A.  Beddoe, 
editor  of  the  Alaska  Minor,  Juneau;  Mr.  P.  D.  Nowell,  of  the  Berners 
Bay  Mining  Company,  Juneau,  and  the  Alaska  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
Juneau.  Special  thanks  are  also  duo  Ernest  O.  Crewe,  M.  D.,  of  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  who  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Dunham's  investigations  was  at  Circle 
City,  for  the  preparation  of  that  ixtrtiou  of  his  report  relating  to  the 
climatic  conditions  and  agricultural  resources  of  Alaska,  aud  to  Capt. 
P.  H.  Ray,  F.  S.  A.  For  the  accompanying  general  map  acknowledg- 
ment is  hereby  rendered  to  Mr.  J.  B.  Tyrrell,  of  Washington,  D.  C. — 
C.  D.  W.j 

INTRODUCTION. 

On  July  15, 1897,  the  steamer  Uxcelmor  enteretl  her  dock  at  San  Fran- 
cisco with  a  party  of  miners  returning  home  from  the  Yukon  River. 
The  dispatches  which  went  to  the  country  through  the  press  that  even- 
ing and  the  following  morning  announced  that  a  large  amount  of  gold 
dust,  variously  stated  at  from  $500,000  to  $750,000,  had  been  brought 
down  on  the  Excelsior,  and  gave  the  details  of  the  discovery  and  partial 
development  the  previous  fall  and  winter  of  rich  placer  gold  diggings 
on  tributaries  of  the  Klondike,  a  small  river  flowing  into  the  Yukon 
from  the  eastward  at  a  point  in  Northwest  Territory  not  fur  from  the 
boundary  line  between  American  and  British  territory.  The  news  cre- 
ated some  excitement  among  the  miners  of  the  West,  but  attracted  no 
great  attention  in  the  East.  On  July  17  the  steamer  Portland  landed 
at  Seattle  with  some  sixty  miners  from  the  Klondike  and  bringing  gold 
dust  to  the  value  of  §800,000.  Tl.is  news  was  so  skillfully  handled  by 
enterprising  newspapers  that  within  a  week  thousands  of  men,  many 
of  whom  had  never  taken  hold  of  pick  or  shovel  with  serious  intentions 
in  their  lives,  were  making  ijreparations  to  go  to  the  new  gold  fields, 
and  by  August  1  the  most  dramatic,  if  not  +hr)  most  extensive,  exodus 
since  that  of  1S49  was  weW  under  way.  Mtu  who  had  partitsipated  in 
the  great  exodus  of  nearly  half  a  century  ago,  in  reading  the  accounts, 
felt  their  nerves  tingle  as  they  recalled  the  golden  days  of  the  fifties, 
and  many  of  these  old  pioneers  outfitted  thoir  bona  and  nepliews  and 
bade  them  Godspeed  to  the  new  Eldorado;  while  a  million  artisans  and 
laborers,  who  during  the  long  industrial  depression  had  toiled  for  a 
bare  subsistence  or  had  not  toiled  at  all,  looked  longingly  toward  the 
North.    The  contagion  si)read  to  all  classes — laborers,  clerks,  merchants, 


-^^ 


rr»*\'mit^'^' 


II  II       II  lU   .1  I      ■r-.y--- 


I. „»,- 


Northwest 
E.  Iiiinseu, 
Yj  D  .(vson; 
ispo  tation 
ited  states 

;y  c<  1''>lfor 

'oraiuercial 
American 
i.  Beddoe, 
le  Borners 
Doinmerce, 
[>.,  of  Ohi- 
s  at  Circle 
"g  to  the 
d  to  Capt. 
knowledjjf- 


San  Pran- 
au  Kiver. 
;hat  even- 
it 
1 


of  gold 
brought 
id  partial 
diggings 
10  Yukon 
from  the 
lews  cre- 
actetl  no 
(I  landed 
riiiggoUl 
rulled  by 
many 


"> 


tentions 

d  fiehls, 

exodus 

)ated.  in 

ccounts, 

e  fifties, 

ews  and 

ana  and 

ed  for  ft 

ard  tlio 

chants, 


1^ 


i 


i: 


■;•  I 


U- 


y 


,,...\- 


t    • 


y 


'/■  .   * 


"^-V^V";-'      ■   V 


V  •M.^ufiM' -d  M"»^M*  ■  fMMHAMtiVnWMSnC' »W««v-<i  ft^. 


.^.■'h 


^'*5vi!!  iocMii 


■TTV 


i  >.ii£*Xj 


ew: 


X  >  *  y 


a^lmlm* 


1 1 1'l'iiiaww 


'«*( 


. 


iJmSi, 


* 


V 


138' 


WMkJier^.  Hc^Mls 


I  )      I— — T 


6V 


6V 


62*  - 


60*  - 


58 

63 

73 

107 
112 
lit 
129 
\k3 
169 
171 
169 
201 
IZS 
132 
163 
193 
70S 
230 
239 
271 
287 
30l» 
333 
3<»3 
353 
USO 
1*6 
50 
35 
MOO 
4eif 


MILE.S  ULAeiER    LAT.  M'Of  LONG.  IM' 32' 

NORTH  END  OF  A8ERCR0MBIE  CN. 

BAIRDS  CANYON 

BREMNCII  .RIVEH    lAT.bl'Z' L0N6.I<»5'30' 

TASNUNA         »  "    6I'5      «      |i»5' 27 

KONSINA  '<        (SMALL  STREAM) 

TEIKHELL         "         LAT.6I  19'  L0N0H»5''»6' 

SPIRIT  MT. 

WOOD'S  CANTON    SOUTH    ENO 

TANAL      LAT.61'38'  LONG. '"tS'S' 

CHtTTYNA    R.      MOUTH 

MIONOOSKI    CREEK 

DORA  CR.      LAT.  6l'2it  L0Ne.llti**l7' 

CHITTYSTONE   R.    LAT  6I"22' LONG.  IM'SI' 

BEOINNINO  OF  TRAIL  TO  NlC0LAIS4> 

JUNCTION   OF  CENTRAL  AND  SOUTH  BRANCH 

NICOLAIS      LAT.  «l'2«'  LONG.  IH3'  17' 

ttnr^X       LEFT  BANK  OF  COPPER   R. 

HIBH5TAG&  n    LAT.  6rS7   LONG.lWW- 

CONEOUANTA  "    62"10'      "      jliS'SO' 

KLUTENA  R    I  MILE  BELOW  HLAWOSIMAK  R. 

TAZLINA  R.   HEADS  IN  LAKR  PLAVZNUE 

TONKINA  R.    LAT.  ea'a?' LONG.  |l*6*W)' 

GAKONA   RIVER 

SAWFORD  R.    LAT  62'f  ^  LONG.  1*6*22 

CHITSLETCHINA    RIVE.R 

8E6INNIN0  OF  TRAIL  TO  BAT2ULNETA5 

OPPOSITE  MOUTH  OF  SLANA  R.  ON  TRAIL 

BATZULNETAS     LAT*62"56'  L0N6.|i»5*22' 

LAKE  SUSLOTA      ELEVATION  3I60FT.  ABOVF  SEA 

NUTtlfmTO  SITKA 

"   SKATALIS     i1  CANOE 
"  "  ALAGANIK     "       " 

ORCA  TO  COPPER  R.        OVERLAND 
NyVHCKTO  SEATTLE 

"    DAWSON     VIA  COPPER  »  WHITE  R. 
NOTES 

COFKR  R.  CONTAIN&  NUMEROUS  ISLANDS.  GRAVEL  BANS  SAND 
SPITS  ANO  SMALL  CHANNELS    USUALLY    SHALLOW.  CURRENT 
VERY  SWIFT.  WHCN  ICE  MtLTS  IN  SPRING  RIVER  IS  A  RACING  YON- 
RENT.  HAS  KEN  ASCENDED  30  MILES  W  SCHOONER  OP  3Pt DRAFT. 
BEST  TIME  TO  GO  MARCH  IS1.  USING  SLEDS  POR  TRANSPORTATION 
TOO  MUCH  PRECIPITATION  AND  HUMIDITY   FOR  SUCCE&FUL  AGRI 
CULTURE     SOLD  ANO  COPPtn    VARlCTV  OF  FISH  AND  6AMe  ,  BCN- 
RIES  ANO  HAW. 

BY  STEAMER  FROM  SITKA  TO  onCA- CABIN  S  30.00  STEBRAOE 
•  2I.S0'  FREIGHT  PER  TON  «  9.50 

NOTE 

MR.QAV!ESTHEONLY  WHITE  MAN  WHO  HAS  JOURNEITED  FROM 
THE  SOURCE  TO  MOUTH  OF  COPPf  R  RIVER:  STATES  THAT  HIS  SUR 
FACE  PROSPECTING  FAILED  TO  SHOW  TRACES  OP  GOLD,  BUT  INDI- 
CATIONS OF  COPPER  WEHC  STAONG.    E.J.LIVERHkSH  . 
QUARTZ  HAS  BEEN  FOUND,  AND  OTHER  PROSPECTORS  CLAIM  TO 
HAVE  FOUND  COLOR 

FAIR  SIZE  COLORS  HAVE  BLEN  WASHED   FROM  SURFACE  GRAVEL 
ON  UPPER   TANANA   R. 
COPPER  HAS  BEEN  LOCATED  ON  PRINCE  WILLIAM  SOUND 

VKHITE  RIVER 
ABOUT  200  MILES  FROM   FT  SELKIRK  to  KLETSAN  CR. 
ZtoaWEEKS  TRAVEl   FROM  KLETSAN t»TARAL(iA*f/lw*; 
WHITE  RIVER  OPEN  2i  MONTHS  LONGER  than  YUKON  R. 
RIVER  WEST  OF  BOUNDARY  CONSISTS  OF  MANY  CHAN 
NELS,  CONSTANTLY   SHIFTING  UPON  A  WIDE  GRAVEL 
PLAIN.  ALL  TRIBUTARIES  ON  SOUTH  SIDE  HEAD 
IN  GLACIERS  TIMBER   LINE  LESS  THAN  lOOO  FT 
SUMMIT  OFSanbAI  PASS  <»090Fr        HAYES 
VESSEL  ORAWIMC  MORETHAN'fFT  CANNOT  CROSS  BAR  AT 
MOUTH  OF  COPPER  R.  FLAT  BOTTOM  BARGES  CAN  NAVI- 
GATS  TO  WHERERIVER  IS  BLOCKED  BY  THE     CANYONS  S 
IM  NUMBER,  WILLS  ON  ONE  SIDE  FORMED  OF  LIVE  GLAG  • 
lERSi  ALMOST  IMPOSSIBLE  TO  LINE  ABOAT  THROUGH 
MOST  PRACTICAL  WAY  TO  REACH  INTIRIOR  tS  VIA  PORT 
VALOES  TRAIL    USED  B\  NATIVES.  BEST  TIME  FEB.  OR 
MARCH  WITH  SLEDS 


TANANA  RIVER 

DISTANCES  FROM  TUKL.UKYET 

MILES 

MOUTH  OF  TANANA  R.  IB 

HARPERS8END     SOUTH  END  1»V 

HARPERS  OLD  STA           LAT  S't'VT'' 1X)N0.  ISl'lf  66 

TOCtAT    R  08 

LORENZ:*)          2 MILES  BELOW  BAKER     CR.  87 

DUOAN   R.  123 

CANTWELL    R.  172 

NATIVE   STA.     SUMMER   VIL.  209 

WIDEST  PART  OF  RiVER  227 

DELTA   CR.                     LAT6ii.'lB'  LONG  IW'SI  265 

DELTA    RIVER  290 

VOLHMAR  RIVER  30C 

MASONS  NARROWS  305 

OOODPASTERS    R  326 

GERSTLE     R.  332 

JOHNSONS    RAPIDS    LA>;   6<v'8' LONG.  l<»S'5f'  396 

JOHNSON    RIVER   HEAD  OF  CARLISLE   RAPIDS  362 

LOWER  END  OF  TOWER   BLUFF  RAPIDS  f  06 

ROBERTSON    RIVER      HEAD  OF   RAPIDS  i«.3B 

CATHEDRAL    BLUhl-  !«.«; 

KHEEt-TAT   VIL-.    (TRAIL  TO  YUKON  R    EAST)  1^60 

BEBINNING  OF  MENTASTA   TRAIL  <t«« 

TOKIA  RIVER      LAT 63*  32:  LONG.  1<»3' 56'  506 

TETLIHO  RIVF.R  5H6 

TETLINGVIL.  SS6 

NAN DEL      "  566 

'1                 "         TO  SUMMIT  OF  MILES  PASS  15 

SUMMIT  OF  PASS  TO  LAKE  SUSLOTA  W 

MIDDLE  OF  PASS  TO  SEA  VIA  TANANAIi  YUKON  R.  1269 

"         "      "       "     »'      "    COPPER    RIVER  aef 

•   NOTES    • 

CURRENT  VERY  SWIFT  ISLANDS  SBARS  SAME  AS  COPPER 
RIVER.  NOT  NAVIGABLE  EXCEPT  BY  CANOES.  GOLD  DIS- 
COVERY  1897.  ABOUT   80  MILES  FROM   MOUTH. 
AGRICULTURAL  CONDITIONS  IN  FAVORED  LOCAL  (TIES. 
COULD  RAISE  LETTUCE,  RAOISHES.TURNIPS,  BEANS,  PEAS 
POTATOES   ANO  POSSIBLY   BUCKWHEAT  AND  BARLEY. 
HAS  BEEN  PROSPECTED    FOR  TEARS 
EXPLORED  IN  IB8B  BY  LIEUT  ALLEN,  U.S.A. 
PORTAOE  TRAILS  TO  YUKON    LITTLE  USED 

eXPLORAYION. 
Time  taken  BYALLSM  to  TRAViLFROPI  MOUTH  OF 
COPPER  «IVBf<  TO  MOUTH  OF  TANANA  K,      DAVS 

ALAGANIK  10  TARAL.  •VBOATAHOSLtO 1$ 

TARAtTONICOLAIS.  OH  FOOT,  liChtFACK  10 

NICOLAI.'  BACKTOTARAL.  By  SHIN  BOAT....'.'.'.'..  7 
TARALTO  LAKesUSLOTA.8Y0«ATANeTRAIL..    .30 

L.  SUSLOTA  TO  TiTUN6'S,  VIA  MIUBB  PASS O 

TETLING;S0OV«NT0M«UTHdfTANANAR.   »«»T )4 

Seasons:  mar  it  ^  oune  2S.  (BBS. 


COOK    INLET 
Distances  and   Notes 

JUNEAU  to  MOUTH  of  COOK   INLET 
MOUTH  Of  INLET  to  TURNAGAIN    BAY 


miles. 

700 

100 

il 


'>4r,y 


Vi\ 


rFf>-^  • 


N 


Cf: 


\kS 


^i> 


tell 


Mt  BlacKhurf 


'-:i^-'-t, 


5! 


j,.wdi«st^y 


'*^"M>i 


R  IYER 


'^^^ 


ii- 


-f/l 


W  >t 


licot*'* 


•'■I 


«i- 


(t> 


\ 


3 


\ 


\ 


w 

\ 

I    Mr.  Lo^n 


^.k*.-- 


ii 


60* 


56' 


Miues 

700 
100 

78a 

S90 


Di6(ance&  AND  Notes 

JUHfAU  to  MOUTH  of  COOK   INLET 
MOUTH  Of  INLET  to  TURNAOMN  BAY 
TURNAOAIN  BAY  to  6IX  MILE  CREEK 
SITKA  to  SUNRISE  CITY 
&ITHA  to   KAOIAN 

•NOTES • 

COPPER  RIVER  NATIVES  (8TIK)  HAVE  A  PORT- 
AGE TRAIL  VIA  TAZLINA  RIVER  ANDSU6HRTNA 
RIVER  TO  COOK   INLET. 

SAILING  OIRECTIONS 
ON  ENTERING  NEAR  CAPE  OOUQLAS    KEEP  THE  WES 
TERN  SHORE  ABOARD 
KAMI8HAK  BAY  DANGEROUS  AND  SHOAL 
SEA  OTTER  ISLAND  VERY  DANGEROUS 
TUXEDNI  HBR.MOOANCHORAOE  IN  IS  FATHOMS 
RANGE  OF  TIDE  2V  FT  JUNE,  36 FT.  (SNUG  HSR) 
ALL  NAVIGATION  IN  UPPER  PART  Of  INLET  IS  SUBJECT 
TO  THE  TIDESt  VWEN  UNFAVORABLE   ANCHOR 
AT  TYOHEW  THE  INLET  FREEZES  OVER  IN  WINTER. 
RANGE  OF  TIDE  25  TO  35  FEET. 
TO  ENTER  TURNAOAIN  ARM;  KEEP  PT.  POSSESSION 
WELL  ABOARD  AND  STEER  FOR  NORTH  EDGE  OF  HIGH 
LAND  ON  SOUTH  SID£OFBAY  KEEPING  A  UTTLE  SOUTH 
OTA  STRAIGHT  LINE  BBTWEEN  THE  TWO  KEEP  LEAD  CON 
STANTLY  60IH0  AS  THE  SHOALS  SHIFT,  ALU)*  FOR  SO 
FEET  RANGE  OP  TIDE. 

NORTH  CHAVNELEAST  OF  FIRE  ISLAND  IS  NOT  NAVIGA- 
BLE.       <e  INDICATES  ANCHORAGE 
KACHEMAK  BAY  NEVER  OBSTRUCTED  BY  ICE. 
6000  HARBOR  RANGE  OF  TIDE  IN  UPPER  BAY  ?2  FEET 
SEL0OVIA,SNUG  ANCHORAGE     WH.DALL  1805 

ALL  SOUHDINGb  IN  FATHOMS 
NAVIOATORS  AROUItO  COOKINltT  SHOULD  HAVC  U.S.ChaCt. 
CHARTS  HOSI  8900-8681-8601 

•ETWEEN  EAST  AND  WEST  FORELAND  TIDE  INCREASES  IN 
VELOCITY  UPTOSOflSKNOTS.  SNUOMPR.  PROTECTBO 
FROM  EASTERLY  WINDS  BY  CHI6ICK  I. 
NAVMATION  OPENS  IN  COOK  INLET  (UfPIR  PART;    ABOUT 
AFRIL  f! 

THERE  IS  A  LAKE  OF  GOOD  CLEAR  WATER  ON  FIRE  ISLAND 
MOUTH  OF  HNIK  RIVER  TO  L.PLAVfUMi.  «<»  Ml. 

L.PLAVIMHK  TO  COPPER  RIVER  25    » 

TSZUNA  R.  TO  L.SUSLOTA  l<»B    r< 

L.SUSLOTA  TO  TAN  ANA    R.  78    <• 

TANANA  R.  TO  CUOAHY  ON  YUKON  R.  100    n 

CUOAHY  TO  DAWSON  J^   it 

T0TAL4e<»  » 


YAKUTAT     BAY 
DISTANCES  ANO  NOT  .5 

MILES 

5ITKA  TO  YAKUTAT.. Sgo 

YAKWTAT    TO  HEAD  OF  DISENCHANTMENT.. .3S 

HEAD  OFSAY  OVERLAND  TO  WHITE  R.  »«« lAO 

DOWN  WHITER    TO  STEWART  RlvtA 130 

STEWART  RIVER  TO  KLONDIKE  RI»ER ..70 

TDTAtAMur    sis 
THISWASMENTlONEO'tA  POSSIRUE  HEW 
noUTliM  SEPTEMBER  1897 

STEAMERS  CANMAVIGATE  DISENCHANTMENT  B. 
ins  ONE  DAYS   SAtcFROMSITKA 
FASTCKM  SLOPE  OP  ST  EliAS  CONTAINS  RICH 
QUARTZ,  60L0  BEARING OIONITE  FOUND 
IN  lasi.  THC  SLACK  SAND  ON  THE  BCACHIS  HOIOS 
FINE  GOLVMRaYIMG  QUANTITIES.  ., 

RATES  ON  SVtAMCR  rtlOM  SITKA  TO  YAKUTAT 
VABIN.  ^I4..00  STECRASS  S^SO   FREIGHT 
fCR  TON  t*.(0 

OOLO  IS  FOUND  IN  BEACH  SANO  ALL  THC  WAT 
FROM  TAYLOn  BAY  TO  YAKUTaT  BAY, klTUVA 
•AY  tMORNEO  LARGELY  SEE  ll"  CENSUS  U.S. 
SAMFHAMOSCO   TOSITKA.P.C  S.C    I7S«  MILES. 

OALTON   TRAIL 

LARGELY  U8EaSS<W6  Survived. FOR  R.R. 
SUMMIT  OF  MHATei^  SHIDOVERWHICH  ITLEAOS 
2200  FT.  PRACTICABLE  FOR  MORSES  AND  CATTlf 
PREFERRCOSV  COMM.  HARRIS  ASmoST  FEASASIE 
.ROUTE  TO  KLONDIKE  FDR  MAIL. 
DISTANCE  FROMCHILKAT  inlet  to  ft  SELKIRK 
4IS  MILES, FT.SELRIRNTO  KLONDIKE  RIVER 

isomilBS.  total 575 

seattle  to  pyramid  h«r  »a-^ 

IS40 
VARIETY  OP  CAME  IN  ALASKA 

MOO •I.RAaaiT,»HIIP.SlAR.*IAV|A.MAR>ieT,  LYNX. 
PORCUFlHI.MINA.CARiaaU.MUSK'lUT.  SLUi  «ROUSt. 
OHUfcOOMj.PYRIMI— <tSAt»IOW,TROUT,rieiltR»L, 
CRAYLIM6. SUCI<(R*.ll  WHITE  ri>H,COA»Tri»H.  COO.MAL- 
■•UT.NMIIlNCACAMOLt'liH.    AlLfM  >H0  lit  CENSUS 


15V 


l«i' 


II 


•♦      PI 


C.SuckliM 


150* 


COPYRIGHT  1897  Bv  J.B.Tyrrell 


.c.StEli»» 


;;,-:*<^i 


^«5 


-^/, 


'■iiTJ 


;«**^i 


/ 


130 


©EMTEA 

COOK  INLET  a 

in 

Klondike,  White,  Tan 

J.B 


%: 


20 


Com  pt  led  from  latest 
Sources.    U.  S.C.&c  Sun 
Gou.of  A/askoL    1897.    AlU 
and  best  exi\ 


IVZ* 


?., 


.^i« 


_j^i 


60' 


•.V.---.'i' 


r'v'.s^ 


w.. 


A 


*•     ^ 


iO^' 


^^ 


r':  (.. 


<=^ 


•,Ti 


dan' 


/n.)  .1 


"*"    ',»■';•' 


\ 


ptyt. 


e.r» 


irf 


TEAL  ALASKA 

)K  fNLETandCOPPER  RIVER 

ike,\V^hite,  Tanana,  and    Mi  nook  Rivers. 

J.B.TYRTiILL 
1898 


10   .      o 

Mh  hI- 


20 


Scale 

40 


60 


80 


100MIL6S 


iled  from  I  at  est   information     and      Official 
:e6.    U.6.C.&,G  Survti^.  U.S.  Geo/.  Suruey   Report  of 
Alaska    1897.    Allen,  Schu>atka,Ogihf'e ,   Dawson, 
and  best  existinq  maps  of  others. 


n 


58* 


inSmtTtTtHTco  ,  PHOTO  iiTHo.  w*tmNonK.  o  c 


Wan 


i 


•i^- 


•f 


ami  St 
tho  pr 
of  tho 
ftrduoi 
on  the 


i 


''r*',   C  'iLt'     •  J    •   '  ■- 


H  . 


fsr 


fe 
« 


T 


i         -« 


%i 


I 


I 


THE    ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


299 


bi'.iikors,  lawyers,  physicians,  ministers  of  tbo  gospel — and  even  Federal 
and  Statu  olVicials  wore  so  eliarined  by  the  allnriiig  picture  drawn  by 
the  press  that  they  resigned  tiieir  j^ositions  to  undergo  tlie  hardships 
of  the  perilous  Journey  to  (ho  Klondike,  presumably  to  engage  in  the 
arduous  labor  of  mining.  While  it  was  evident  that  the  mass  of  matter 
on  the  subject  appearing  in  the  daily  press  contained  nnndi  tiuit  was 
exaggerated  and  untrue,  yet  it  was  recognized  that  truth  also  pervaded 
the  stories  that  w(!re  told,  for  the  amount  of  gold  brought  by  the  miners 
from  the  Yukon  indicated  beyond  doubt  that  a  strike  of  extraordinary 
character  had  been  made.  The  demand  at  Washington  from  all  parts 
of  the  country  for  authentic  information  on  the  subject  had  become  so 
great  by  the  latter  end  of  July  that  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  felt 
impelled  to  make  an  official  inquiry  relative  to  the  condition  of  affairs  in 
the  Yukon  gold  fields,  and  the  writer  was  ordered  to  make  the  investi- 
gation, in  accordance  Avith  the  following  letter  of  instructions,  of  date 
July  29,  1897 : 

You  are  hereby  assigned  to  duty  in  Alaska  and  British  America  for 
the  purpose  of  making  an  investigation  relative  to  the  opportunities 
which  the  gold  regions  in  the  Yukon  Valley  and  adjoining  territory 
afford  for  the  remunerative  employment  of  American  labor  and  capi- 
tal. Please  proceed  at  once  to  Circle  City  or  Dawson  City,  as  may  bo 
most  practicable.  Y'^our  study  of  the  conditions  in  the  recently  dis- 
covered gold  fields  and  the  surrounding  country  should  be  thorough, 
and  so  conducted  as  to  enable  you  to  ascertain  full  and  complt'te  infor- 
mation as  to  the  means  and  expense  of  reaching  such  localities,  the 
demand  for  labor,  rates  of  wages,  cost  of  living,  etc.,  and  also  the  extent 
and  value  of  the  present  workings  and  the  best  localities  for  settle- 
ment. Your  incjuiries  sliould  include  not  only  the  gold  fields  and 
vicinity,  but  sucli  other  localities  in  Alaska  as  are  i.flFected  by  the  gold 
discoveries.  Y'ou  should  keep  constantly  in  mind  that  the  chief  pur- 
pose of  the  investigcatiou  is  to  ascertain  what  avenues  are  open  for  the 
employment  of  labor  and  the  conditions  under  which  such  employment 
can  bo  secured. 

Your  report  should  be  made  et  the  earliest  possible  date  consistent 
with  a  thorough  and  exhaustive  examination  along  the  lines  indicated 
and  ill  the  territory  assigned  to  you. 

I'lease  keej)  tlie  Department  fully  informed  from  time  to  time  as  to 
tlie  ]»r()gress  of  your  work,  bearing  in  mind  any  unusual  developments 
which  may  occur  in  the  gold  fields,  in  order  that  the  people  in  tiiis 
country  may  receive  prompt  and  authentic  infrrniation  in  relation 
thereto. 

This  report  embodies  the  result  of  the  investigation  made  under  the 
above  letter  of  instructions. 


ii 


THE  TRAILS. 

There  are  four  principal  trails  that  were  traveled  to  a  greater  or  less 
exicnt  by  those  going  to  the  Yukon  gold  fields  during  the  past  season. 

Th(!  first,  that  will  bo  considered  is  tlie  Stikeen  route.  Disembark- 
ing I'loin  the  ocean  steamer  at  Wrangell,  the  traveler  takes  a  river 


300 


BULLETIN    OF   THE    DEPARTMENT    OF    LABOR. 


steamboat  at  that  place  aud  ascends  the  Stikeen  lliver  to  the  town  of 
Telegraph,  about  150  miles  from  Wrangell.  The  fare  is  $10,  with  an 
allowance  of  100  pounds  of  baggage.  From  Telegraph  to  the  head  of 
Lake  Teslin  there  is  a  portage  of  122  miles,  and  during  ihe  past  sum- 
mer pack  horses  were  used  on  the  trail,  the  charge  for  packing  being 
17^  cents  per  pound.  At  the  head  of  Lake  Teslin  there  is  au  abun- 
dance of  timber  for  the  construction  of  boats,  but  as  there  is  no  saw- 
mill it  is  necessary  for  travelers  to  whipsaw  lumber  antl  build  their 
own  boats.  It  is  reported  that  a  sawmill  will  be  in  operation  there  in 
the  spring.  Lake  Teslin  is  104  miles  long,  aud  is  the  source  of  the 
Teslin  (Hootalinqua)  Kiver,  which  enters  Lewes  River  128  miles  above 
Five  Finger  Eapids,  the  distance  from  the  head  of  the  lake  U)  Dawson 
being  584  miles.  The  principal  advantage  of  this  route  is  that  it  avoids 
the  Grand  Canyon  and  the  White  Horse  liapids,  but  on  account  of  the 
long  portage  it  was  chosen  by  comparatively  few  gold  seekers  during 
the  past  season,  probably  not  over  one  hundred  in  all.  It  is  authentic- 
ally stated  that  the  Canadian  Government  is  constructing  a  wagon 
road  from  Telegraph  to  the  head  of  Lake  Teslin  and  that  Canadian 
capitalists  are  building  two  small  steamers  during  the  present  Avinter 
for  service  from  the  head  of  the  lake  to  Dawson,  expecting  to  have 
them  ready  for  traffic  on  the  opening  of  navigation  in  the  spring. 

The  Chilkat  or  Dalton  trail  leaves  Lynn  Canal  iii  Pyramid  Harbor, 
the  mouth  of  the  Chilkat  River,  and  ascends  that  stream  about  seventy- 
five  miles,  to  the  summit  of  Cliilkat  Pass;  thence  passing  through  low, 
bald  hills  and  across  rolling  prairies  to  Fort  Selkirk,  live  nules  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Pelly  and  about  325  miles  from  Chilkat  Pass,  The 
old  Dalton  trail,  which  has  been  practically  abandoned,  strikes  ^  ewes 
River  just  below  Five  Finger  Eapids.  The  Dalton  trails  were  used  by 
cattle  drovers  during  the  past  season,  one  herd  having  been  taken  in 
by  the  old  route,  and  a  few  miners  passed  over  the  Jiew  trail  with  pack 
horses.  There  are  quite  a  number  of  deep  streams  to  cross,  it  often 
being  necessary  during  high  water  to  swim  them.  This  is  considered 
by  many  j)raetical  men  to  be  the  most  feasible  route  for  a  railroad  to 
the  Yukon. 

The  Skagway  River  enters  Lynn  Canal  near  its  head,  about  five 
miles  by  water  below  Dyea.  The  Skagway  trail,  the  favorite  route  of 
the  Cnnadians,  follows  the  river  to  the  summit,  a  tlistance  of  about 
twenty  miles,  and  thence  through  a  su(!cessio/i  of  hills,  bog-,  and 
meadows  to  Luke  Hennett,  the  distance  from  Skagway  Harbor  to 
the  lake  being  abtrnt  forty- five  miles.  For  lour  miles  from  Skagway 
there  is  a  I'airly  goo<l  wagon  road,  and  freight  is  transported  that  dis- 
tance in  wagons.  At  this  point  the  trail  ascends  the  numiitain  sid»>, 
traversing  precipitous,  rocky  liillsides  eight  miles,  aud  then  crossoH  ihe 
river  and  continues  its  course  on  the  opi)o8ite  side  of  the  stream  to 
the  summit.  On  August  22  there  wen>  about  4,000  men  and  2,000 
horses  on  this  trail,  and  but  few  hiid  succeeded  in  getting  past  the 
summit  with  theii;  outfits  on  account  of  itH  miry  condition.     The  price 


=^^ 


JOB. 

Br  to  the  town  of 
»  is  $10,  with  an 
h  to  the  liead  of 
\g  ihe  paist  sum- 
»r  packing  being 
lere  is  an  abun- 
there  is  no  saw- 
ancl  build  their 
)erati(m  tliere  in 
;he  source  of  the 
128  miles  above 
3  lake  to  Dawson 
)  is  tliat  it  avoids 
on  account  of  the 
d  seekers  during 
It  is  authentic- 
ructing  a  wagon 
d  that  Canadian 
le  present  winter 
xpecting  to  have 
the  spring, 
pyramid  Harbor, 
\,m  about  seventy- 
sing  through  low, 
,  live  miles  below 
lilkat  Pass,    The 
ed,  strikes  ^  ewes 
■ails  wore  used  by 
ing  been  taken  in 
iw  trail  will'  pack 
to  cross,  it  often 
rhis  is  consiur^red 
5  for  a  railroad  to 

head,  about  Ave 
},  favorite  route  of 
distance  of  about 
■  hills,  bog  •,  and 
igway  Harbor  to 
es  from  Skagway 
nsported  that:  dis- 
he  numntain  side, 
id  th<ni  crosses  ihe 

I  of  the  stream  to 
IM)  men  and  2,000 

II  getting  past  the 
tlition.    The  price 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD    FIELDS. 


301 


for  i^acking  to  Lo.ke  Bennett  was  30  cents  per  pound,  and  horses  were 
selling  for  from  $150  to  $300  a  head.  The  price  of  hay  was  $300  per 
ton,  and  Klondike  prices  prevailed  generally,  a  pair  of  shoes  costing 
$10,  woolen  mittens  $3,  and  other  articles  of  wearing  apparel  in  like 
proportion.  The  town  of  Skagway  had  a  temporary  population  of 
about  1,000,  there  being  a  few  buildings  constructed  of  rough  lum- 
ber, while  most  of  the  people  were  living  in  tents.  A  town  site 
had  been  located  and  surveyed,  and  the  i)lace  possessed  all  the  char- 
acteristics of  a  boom  town  on  the  Western  plains.  The  steamers 
arriving  at  Skagway  discharged  their  passengers  and  cargoes  by  means 
of  lighters,  there  being  no  wharf  and  the  harbor  being  very  shallow 
near  shore.  The  tides  being  high  here,  freight  lauded  on  the  beach  at 
low  tide  was  freqiiently  caught  by  the  incoming  tide  before  it  could  be 
transported  to  a  place  of  safety,  and  in  tiiis  way  much  loss  occurred. 
The  agents  of  the  oteamship  companies  made  no  effort  to  avoid  such 
disasters  to  the  property  of  their  p^.trons,  their  entire  energies  being 
strained  to  the  utmost  to  unload  their  vessels  as  quickly  as  possible  in 
order  to  get  them  back  to  the  lower  ports,  where  thousands  of  peo- 
pie  were  anxiously  awaiting  their  turn  to  be  treated  in  like  manner. 
The  steamship  companies  were  building  a  wha"f,  and  it  is  i^robable 
that  the  state  of  affairs  described  will  be  improved  by  the  season  of 
1898.  During  July  Dyea  w%as  made  a  subport  of  entry,  but,  as  Skag- 
[way  has  a  deeper  harbor  than  Dyea,  most  of  the  vessels  landed  their 
ca'-goes  at  Skagway  and  the  United  States  cust  ms  officials  made  their 
head([narters  there  and  were  actively  engaged  in  collecting  duties  on 
unbonded  Canadian  goods.  There  were  many  vigorous  protests  from 
the  Canadians  against  what  they  considered  the  injustice  of  taxing 
goods  which  were  simply  in  transit  througli  a  narrow  strip  of  Ameri- 
can territory  for  cc^^sumption  on  British  soil,  aiul  they  especially  com- 
plained of  the  $30  duty  being  charged  on  horses,  many  of  which  had 
cost  in  British  Columbia  less  than  the  amount  of  the  duty  imposed. 

The  Chllkoot  or  Dyea  trail  is  the  overland  route  to  the  Yukon  tliat 
has  been  most  generally  chosen  during  past  years  by  gold  seekers,  and 
a  very  large  proportion  of  those  who  succeeded  in  getting  to  the  gold 
fields  last  sunuuer  went  in  by  this  trail.  The  best  time  to  start  from 
Dyea  is  bet\Aeen  the  middle  of  March  and  the  last  of  April,  as  it  is 
then  comparatively  easy  to  transport  outflts  by  means  of  sleds  to  the 
f(^ot  of  Lake  Bennett,  or  oven  farther,  where  good  timber  tor  boat  build- 
ing can  1)6  found  in  abundance.  By  adopting  this  course  the  tedious 
and  diiricult  trip  over  the  Chilkoot  Pass,  and  the  voyage  through  the 
lalceo,  aft(^r  the  ice  breaks  up  in  May,  are  iivoided,  the  Journej^  being 
nnulo  through  the  canyon  of  the  l>yea  (Taiya)  River.  Parties  of  throe 
or  four  should  be  organized,  as  one  tent  and  camp  outfit,  whipsaw,  etc., 
will  sufiice  for  all. 

The  customary  rate  for  packing  Irom  Dyea  to  Tiindeman  has  beeTi  14 
cents  per  pound,  but  during  tlie  past  summer  it  rose  to  47  cents,  the 
rate  on  August  23  being  38  cents.    These  high  rates  were  tlie  result  of 


'■  ! 


302 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


the  A'oluutary  bids  for  the  services  of  packers  by  men  of  means  who 
were  anxious  to  get  to  the  Klondike  ■without  delay,  the  Indian  packers, 
having  once  received  an  advance  price  refusing  to  work  for  the  old  rate. 
These  prices  were  practically  prohibitory  to  gold  seekers  of  ordinary 
means,  and  they  were  obliged  to  pack  their  supplies  themselves,  many 
of  them  having  been  six  M^eeks  on  the  trail  and  not  having  yet  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  their  outfits  over.  The  average  load  of  a  white 
packer  was  100  pounds,  and  it  required  four  days  to  make  the  round 
trip  to  Lake  Liudeman,  a  'istanco  of  twenty-seven  miles.  On  August 
23  there  were  about  1,;.  >0  ir  .n  the  trail  en  route  to  the  Klondike, 
and  about  250  Indiars  f ',i  IM)  ,vhite  men  were  engaged  in  x>acking. 
About  150  head  of  horsod  wc^e  in  use,  packing  as  far  as  Sheep  Camp, 
fourteen  miles  from  Dyea,  starting  from  the  ferry,  to  which  point  freight 
was  transported  in  wagons.  Canoes  were  used  for  carrying  outfits  to 
the  head  of  canoe  navigation^  six  miles  from  Dyea.  The  Indians,  as  a 
rule,  packed  direct  from  Dyea  to  Lindeman,  carrying  from  100  to  220 
pounds  each,  while  the  white  packers  were  generally  employed  from 
the  head  of  canoe  navigation  and  from  Sheep  Camp  to  transport  the 
freight  carried  to  those  points  by  canoes  and  horses,  their  packs  ranging 
ft'om  75  to  150  pounds.  Freight  and  passengers  for  Dyea  are  landed 
on  the  beach  in  the  same  manner  as  at  Skagway,  and  much  loss 
occurred  by  the  washing  away  of  suppMes  by  the  incoming  tide.  The 
cost  for  transporting  freight  from  the  Ijeafih  to  the  village  of  Dyea, 
about  two  miles,  was  $5  per  ton.  A  iirbfc-class  outfit  for  one  man 
weighs  from  1,200  to  1,500  pounds  .  .s'  ?r;'.;  fVom  $150  to  $200  at  Seattle 
or  Juneau,  and  no  one  should  vcn  irv  m^r  \,he  interior  with  less  than 
the  smaller  weight  named. 

The  details  of  the  journey  from  Dyea  '  .)awson  are  given  in  the 
form  of  a  diary,  commencing  August  23, 1  )97,  as  it  Is  tliought  that  they 
can  best  be  presented  in  this  way. 

AuguHt  23. — Started  from  Dyea  for  Jjake  Lindeman  witli  four  Indi- 
ans— Sleepy  Tom,  Eight  Eye,  Slim  Jim,  and  Chilkat  Jack — each  with 
a  pack  of  100  pounds;  late, 38  cent  j  per  pound.  It  had  been  threaten- 
in;,  rain  ail  the  morning,  and  it  w;vs  with  great  difticulty  that  the  Indi- 
ans could  be  induced  to  move.  ^  aF'y,  at  11  a.  m.,  they  were  prevailed 
upon  to  set  <mt,  and  they  disaii-x  »vd  in  the  Avoods  up  the  trail,  while 
theii  victim  struggled  into  the  pac!-  tip^^;  containing  his  valise,  rubber 
boots.  I'itic,  and  oilskin,  the  entire  .v'eigiit  of  the  pack,  according  to  the 
scoles,  being  for;;y-seven  pounds.  Followed  Indians  as  rapidly  as  pos- 
sioii',  h:  ■  '-'itild  lot  catcli  them,  "'vidently  good  walkers.  After  pro- 
ceedijif,  -ilwit  y?  .\%-  quarters  of  a  mile  became  convinced  that  the  Dyea 
Kcaks  veon'rviii  atijustment,  as  the  pack  Kcemed  to  weigh  much  more 
than  fpA  lysoven  pounds.  Met  a  little  Indian  boy  returning  from  the 
ferry  wi*:lj  a  .<^)nail  cart.  As  he  was  evidently  in  the  freighting  business, 
a  propos'tio?)  was  uiade  to  him  to  transport  i)ack  to  the  tV'iry,  wliicli  he 
agreed  io  do  for  $1.    Arrived  at  ferry,  one  mile  from  Dyea,  at  11.30. 


LABOR. 

men  of  means  yvho 

ilic  Indian  packers, 

rork  for  the  old  rate. 

seekers  of  ordinary 

!S  themselves,  many 

lot  having  yet  suc- 

ge  load  of  a  white 

to  make  the  round 

miles.    On  August 

;o  to  the  Klondike, 

ngaged  in  packing. 

iir  as  Sheep  Camp, 

which  point  freight 

carrying  outfits  to 

The  Indians,  as  a 

ug  from  100  to  220 

ally  employed  from 

ip  to  transport  the 

their  packs  ranging 

)r  Dyea  are  landed 

ay,  and  much  loss 

incoming  tide.    The 

16  village  of  Dyea, 

outfit  for  one  man 

50  to  $200  at  Seattle 

irior  with  less  than 

n  are  given   in  the 
s  thought  that  they 

nan  with  four  Indi- 
:at  Jack — each  with 
I  had  been  threatcn- 
iculty  that  the  Indi- 
they  were  prevailed 
s  up  the  trail,  Avhilo 
>g  his  valise,  rubber 
ck,  according  to  the 
s  as  rapidly  as  pos- 
ralkcrs.  After  pro- 
inced  that  the  Dyea 
1)  woigh  much  more 
returning  from  tlio 
freigiiting  business, 
1  the  ferry,  which  h(^ 
i-om  Dyea,  at  11. .'JO. 


THE    ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


303 


I 


The  river  at  this  point  is  about  200  feet  wide,  being  very  swift  and 
deep.  Discharged  freighter  and  crossed  the  river;  ferry  charge,  50 
cents.  Was  informed  that  four  Indians  had  just  left,  and  thvt  they 
could  not  be  more  than  100  yards  ahead.  Proceeded  up  the  trail,  and 
about  half  a  mile  above  the  ferry  caught  up  with  a  Ctvur  d'Alene  miner 
with  two  pack  horses.  Having  had  but  little  experience  in  i^acking,  he 
was  having  trouble  with  his  i)acks,  which  frequently  came  in  contact 
with  the  trees  on  the  narrow  trail.  One  horse  was  unevenly  loaded, 
with  a  100-pound  gunny  of  flour  on  one  side  and  fifty  i)ounds  of  beans 
on  the  other.  The  miner  suggested  that  the  valise  would  just  about  bal- 
ance the  pack,  and  he  was  allowed  to  use  it  for  the  purpose  suggested. 
Proceeded  without  further  trouble  to  the  head  of  canoe  navigation,  six 
miles  from  Dyea.  The  trail  from  the  ferry  to  this  i)oint  winds  through 
the  woods  and  along  a  dry  channel  of  the  river.  In  the  woods  the 
traveler  has  his  first  experience  with  Alaska  muck  and  roots.  In  many 
places  the  trail  is  cut  to  a  depth  of  eighteen  inches,  and  every  few  feet 
an  uncovered  root  extends  across  the  pathway,  requiring  a  species  of 
pedestrianism  akin  to  walking  in  a  row  of  bushel  baM^ets.  Where  the 
trail  follows  the  old  liver  bed  there  are  alternate  stretches  of  sand  and 
cobblestones,  rendering  progress  exceedingly  slow  and  fatiguing.  The 
river  is  crossed  three  times  between  the  ferry  and  the  camp  at  the  head 
of  canoe  navigation,  it  being  necessary  tc  wade  the  stream  at  the  first 
and  second  crossings,  where  the  water  is  from  two  to  three  feet  deep 
and  very  swift,  while  at  the  third  crossing  there  is  a  good  footbridge. 
Arrived  at  the  camp  at  head  of  canoe  navigation  at  3  o'clock.  TIumb 
are  twenty-five  or  thirty  tents  here.  Bade  a  reluctant  adieu  to  Cd'ut 
d'Alene  miner  and  employed  Indian  packer  to  carry  valise  to  Sheep 
Camp,  eight  miles  farther  up  the  trail,  being  obliged  to  accede  to  his 
demand  for  coinpensation  at  100-pouud  rate,  or  $10  for  the  eight  miles. 
The  trail  follows  the  dry  channel  for  two  or  three  miles  and  then  ascends 
the  precipitous  side  of  the  canyon,  it  being  necessary  in  many  i^lactes  to 
climb  to  a  height  of  three  or  four  hundred  feet  above  the  river,  ojily  to 
descend  a  steep  incline  and  scale  another  hill  worse  than  the  last.  In 
the  ravines  and  lowlands  there  is  always  a  bed  of  muck,  produced  by 
decayed  vegetation  and  the  washing  down  of  the  soil  from  the  steep 
hillsides  by  the  heavy  and  almost  incessant  rains.  The  worst  places 
have  been  corduroyed  at  an  expense  of  several  thousand  dollars.  Many 
Indian  and  white  p.ackers  are  met  on  the  trail,  returning  to  Dyea. 
Inquiry  of  the  one  or  two  white  packers  from  whom  anyieply  whatever 
cor.hl  be  extracted,  elicited  the  information  that  four  Indians  had  been 
met  just  this  side  of  Sheep  Camp.  Sociability  is  at  a  discount  on  the 
Dyea  trail.  Your  respectful  greeting  of  "  good  afternoou  ''  is  receivt^d 
by  an  Indian  Avith  a  grunt  and  by  a  white  man  with  a.  surinised  staie 
that  makes  you  feel  that  you  have  committed  a  grave  bicacli  of 
etiquette,  and  you  soon  I'.'avn  to  keei)  your  mouth  shut,  except  to  catch 
your  breath  on  the  steep  inclines.     Arrived  at  Sheep  Camp  at  7  o'clocli.  ' 


804 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOK. 


There  are  probably  150  teuts  here,  and  a  temporary  population  of  300 
or  400.  The  camp  is  located  on  the  banks  of  the  Dyea  River,  which  is 
here  a  rushing  'orrent  30  or  40  feet  wide.  Mountains  of  Alpine  twau- 
deur  rise  on  either  side,  and  the  gorges  are  filled  by  glaciers  which  dis- 
charge into  the  river  in  numerous  waterfalls.  On  inquiry  at  the  Indian 
camp  it  was  learned  that  Sleepy  Tom  &  Oo.  had  gone  on  to  Sione 
House,  two  miles  farther  up  the  trail.  Stayed  for  the  night  at  the 
Palmer  House,  the  largest  hotel  in  Sheep  Camp.  This  structure,  which 
is  the  most  imposing  in  the  place,  is  constructed  of  rough  boards,  aiid 
is  about  25  by  50  feet  in  size,  having  but  one  story  containing  one  ro^im. 
About  one-fourth  of  the  rear  portion  is  partitioned  off  by  means  of  a 
calico  portiere,  and  is  used  for  kitchen  and  general  living  room  ol  the 
landlord  and  family.  Application  for  supper  was  met  by  a  statemeht 
from  the  landlord  that  he  had  fed  500  people  during  the  day,  and  that 
everything  was  eaten  up;  but  a  somewhat  prolonged  appeal  resulted 
in  the  production  of  two  biscuits,  a  slice  of  bacon,  and  a  cup  of  tea, 
the  charge  being  75  cents  in  advance,  this  requirement  being  based  on 
the  absence  of  heavy  baggage.  During  the  evening  the  landlord 
related  some  incidents  in  his  career.  He  had  farmed  and  reared  dhil- 
dreu  in  Wisconsin,  until  the  hard  times  and  the  needs  of  a  large  faniily 
drove  him  to  Seattle,  but  unfortunately  he  struck  that  town  in  the 
wane  of  its  boom,  and  after  struggling  against  fate  for  a  year  or 'two 
he  decided  to  try  his  fortunes  in  the  frozen  North.  He  arrived  at 
Juneau  in  May  with  his  wife,  seven  children,  and  $8.  His  grit  was  of 
a  kind  that  gained  the  good  will  of  kind  people  in  Juneau,  'who  made 
it  i)08sible  for  him  to  come  to  Dyea,  with  his  two  half-grown  sons,  to 
engage  in  packing  on  the  trail.  After  some  weeks  of  most  exacting 
labor  he  found  himself  financially  equipped  to  cater  to  the  Sheep  Camp 
needs,  and,  assisted  by  his  wife  and  seven  children,  has  since  been  doing 
a  large  and  profitable  business.  The  sons  are  still  packing  on  the 
trail  and  making  from  $10  to  $15  a  day  apiece.  So  much  for  dear 
grit  and  a  staunch  heart.  Some  forty  of  the  guests  were  acconuuo- 
dated  with  lodgings  on  the  floor,  each  furnishing  his  own  blankctH. 
Was  invited  to  share  the  blankets  of  a  gentleman  who  had  been  con- 
fined to  the  hotel  for  two  or  three  Aveeks  on  account  of  a  broken  ankle. 
August  21. — Landlord  refused  payment  for  lodging,  and  even  apolo- 
gized for  the  lack  of  accommodations.  This  fact,  even  without  the 
knowledge  obtained  in  the  conversation  last  night,  stamps  him  as  a 
"cheechako."  (« )  After  breakfast  employed  packer  to  carry  valise  to  Lii  ke 
Lindeman  at  a  cost  of  $16,  and  at  8.30  a.  m.  proceeded  on  the  way  in  a 
drizzling,  cold  rain.  At  the  foot  of  the  Ohilkoot  Pass,  four  miles  from 
Sheep  Camp,  whi(!h  point  was  reached  at  10.30,  a  large  number  of  white 
men  and  Indians  were  camped,  many  of  whom  had  attempted  to  cross, 

<iA  Chinook  word  meaning  "newcomer,"  and  having  the  same  Higniflcation  as 
"tendorfoot"  on  the  npper  MisHouri.  It  is  applied  to  everyone  who  has  not  passed 
a  winter  hero. 


I 


THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


305 


: 


on  of  300 

which  ia 

ine  't»an- 

v^hich  dis- 

he  Indian 

to  SiX'ue 

ht  at  tbo 

ire,  which 

lards,  lutd 

one  ro^)m. 

leans  of  a 

om  oi'  the 

statemeht 

and  that 

il  resulted 

!up  of  tea, 

r  based  on 

)  landlord 

eared  c!hil- 

rge  fanlily 

wn  in  the 

ear  or  -two 

arrived  at 

grit  was  of 

'who  made 

ivn  sons,  to 

It  exaciing 

lieep  Camp 

been  doing 

ing  on  tlio 

h  for  clear 

>  accoiiiuio- 

1  blank  ctH. 

1  been  con- 

)ken  ankle. 

even  ai)o]o- 

irithout  the 

38  him  {» s  a 

ilisetoLake 

he  way  in  a 

miles  from 

jer  of  white 

ed  to  cross, 

l^nification  aa 
as  not  puflsed 


but  had  cached  their  packs  and  returned.  They  stated  that  a  terrific 
stoi^m  was  raging  on  the  summit  and  that  it  was  impossible  to  get  over. 
On  inquiry,  it  was  learned  that  Sleepy  Tom  and  his  party  had  reached 
the  summit  last  night,  and  as  It  was  necessary  to  be  at  Lindeman  in 
order  to  receive  outfit  and  pay  them  off,  it  was  decided  to  attempt  the 
journey.  The  rugged  slope  of  the  Ohilkoot  loomed  up  at  an  anglo  of 
45  degrees,  disappearing  in  the  clouds  and  mist  a  hundred  feet  above. 
The  trail  leads  up  rocky  ledges  and  along  smooth  bowlders,  som6  of 
which  are  fifty  feet  in  length,  and  across  the  face  of  glaciers  many  acres 
in  extent,  and  in  places  skirting  precipices  projecting  over  gorges  hun- 
dreds of  feet  in  depth.  Tliere  is  no  vegetation  above  the  foot  of  the 
pass,  and  in  the  absence  of  trees  and  shrubs,  which  abound  along  other . 
portions  of  the  trail,  the  only  recourse  in  case  of  a  slip  or  stumble  is  to 
catcii  at  the  rocks,  which  in  their  wet  condition  offer  a  poor  hold  for  the 
liand.  A  number  of  packers  were  met  higli  up  on  the  trail,  who  stated 
that  it  was  dangerous  to  go  on;  that  they  had  gone  nearly  to  the  sum- 
mit, but  were  forced  to  return  on  account  of  the  storm.  By  this  time 
the  rain  had  turned  to  sleet,  and,  as  the  wind  was  blowing  a  hurricane, 
it  cut  the  face  like  needles  and  rendered  the  pathway  exceedingly  slip- 
pery and  the  footing  uncertain.  Fortunately,  when  about  two-thirds  of 
the  ascent  was  accomplished,  the  wind  shifted  to  the  west,  coming  up  the 
pass  and  greatly  assisting  progress.  On  account  of  the  great  exertion  in 
climbing  the  steeps,  was  obliged  to  stop  at  frequent  intervals  for  a  breath- 
ing spell;  but  the  moment  the  exertion  ceased  a  chill  ensued,  making 
it  necessary  to  move  on  to  avoid  freezing.  Reached  the  summit  at 
11.30,  having  been  one  hour  in  making  the  ascent,  wet  to  the  skin, 
with  shoes  full  of  water,  and  chilled  to  the  marrow.  From  the  summit 
to  Crater  Lake,  a  distance  of  one  and  a  half  miles,  the  descent  is  steep 
and  the  trail  slippery  and  treacherous.  Arrived  at  Crater  Lake  at  1 
p.  m.,  and  found  that  the  ferry  was  not  running  on  account  of  the  high 
wind,  making  it  necessary  to  proceed  by  way  of  the  trail.  At  2  o'clo^^k 
reached  Happy  Camp.  Applied  at  half  a  dozen  of  the  score  or  so  o.^ 
tents  for  a  cup  of  coffee,  but  was  refused,  although  in  each  case  pay- 
ment was  tendered.  A  man  with  a  pile  of  grub  six  feet  high  in  front 
of  his  tent  declined  to  part  with  enough  of  it,  even  for  pay,  to  enable 
a  follow- traveler  to  reach  his  own  outfit  a  few  miles  farther  on.  Seemed 
to  be  possessed  by  a  fear  that  next  year,  about  June,  perhaps,  he  was 
liable  to  run  short  of  some  luxury.  Reached  the  foot  of  Long  Lake, 
three  miles  from  Lindeman,  at  4  o'clock.  Quite  a  number  of  tents  here. 
Applied  at  one  for  a  cup  of  coffee,  and  received  a  hearty  invitation 
from  the  three  occupants,  all  sturdy  young  men  from  Montana,  to  join 
them  in  the  meal  they  were  preparing.  An  attempted  apology  for  the 
intrusion  nnit  with  the  unanimous  assurance  from  the  young  men  that 
none  Avas  necessary,  as  they  had  themselves  but  ten  minutes  before 
taken  possession  of  the  tent,  which  they  had  found  unoccupied.  After  a 
sumptuous  dinner  of  baking-powder  biscuits,  bacon,  beans,  and  coffee,  a 


306 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


letter  was  written  to  the  owner  of  tLe  tent,  thanking  Lim  for  liis  Lospi- 
tality,  signed  by  his  four  guests,  and  left  on  the  grub  box.    Arrived  at 

ake  Lindenian  at  7  o'clock.  The  camp  at  the  head  of  the  lake  contains 
about  fifty  tents  and  a  temporary  population  of  200c  Sleepy  Tom  et  al. 
not  yet  here.  Situation  somewhat  discouraging ;  no  blankets,  no  food — 
nothing  but  wet  clothes  and  a  bad  cold.  Made  the  acquaintance  of 
two  brothers  from  Juneau,  and  on  .  atemeut  of  circumstances  was 
invited  to  share  their  tent,  given  a  change  of  clothing  and  half  a  tea- 
cupful  of  Hudson  Bay  rum,  and  put  to  bed.  Opinion  of  the  people  on 
the  trail  improving. 

August  25. — Spent  the  day  in  Inspecting  the  camp.  Fifteen  boats 
are  in  course  of  construction,  whipsawed  lumber  being  used.  Logs 
are  getting  scarce,  it  being  necessary  to  go  two  or  three  miles  across 
the  lake  to  get  good  ones.  Lumber  is  selling  for  $500  a  thousand  at  the 
sawmill  at  Lake  Bennett,  eight  miles  below.  Boat  large  enough  to  carry 
three  men  sold  today  for  $375.  Prices  of  all  articles  practically  pro- 
hibitory for  men  of  ordinary  means.  Flour  and  bacon  cost  $50  a  hun- 
dred laid  down  here,  and  can  scarcely  be  bought  at  any  price.  Good 
pair  of  shoes  costs  $15.  Two  men  working  together,  whipsawiug  lum- 
ber, sell  their  day's  product  for  $50,  and  packers  receive  as  high  as  $25 
a  day  and  board.  Has  been  raining  steadily  all  day,  and  it  is  reported 
that  there  is  a  bad  storm  on  the  summit.  No  Indians  have  crossed  the 
pass  since  the  21st. 

August  26. — Still  raining.    No  Indians. 

August  27. — liight  Eye  arrived  at  9  a.  m.  Brings  letter  from  post- 
master at  Dyea,  stating  that  Sleepy  Tom,  Slim  Jim,  and  Chilkat  Jack 
are  still  there;  that  the  four  Indians  had  come  only  half  a  mile  or  so 
on  tlie  23d,  and  then  took  to  the  woods  and  went  back  home  to  await 
good  weather.    Still  raining,  but  barometer  indicates  clear  weather. 

August  28. — Sleepy  Tom  and  Slim  Jim  arrived  at  9  a.  m.,  with  packs 
containing  blankets  and  typewriter.  Typewriter  in  bad  condition,  sole 
leather  case  having  collapsed  on  account  of  the  soaking  rain.  Should 
have  been  packed  in  a  box.  Have  made  arrangements  for  passage 
down  the  river.  Construction  of  the  boat  begins  to-morrow,  and  hope 
to  bo  ready  to  leave  within  three  days.  Secured  hind  quarter  of  cari- 
bou to-day;  price,  50  cents  per  pound.  An  improvement  on  bacon. 
Weather  has  cleared  up,  and  seven  boats  got  away  to-day.  Seventy- 
live  Indian  packers  and  about  fifty  white  men  got  over  to-day.  1  iicy 
report  that  the  summit  has  been  impassable  for  three  days.  The  price 
of  packing  has  increased  to  40  cents  per  pound.  Whisky  selling  to-day 
for  $8  a  bottle,  and  reported  not  a  very  good  article  at  that. 

August  29  {Sunday). — Last  pack  got  in  at  11  a.  m.  Chilkat  Jack 
jumped  his  contra  t,  and  postmaster  at  Dyea  employed  Tagish  Tom  as 
a  substitute.  Tom  somewhat  under  the  influence  of  Long  Lake  whisky, 
but  got  here  just  the  same.  Man  with  26-foot  boat  on  Long  Lake  is 
making  $250  a  day  ferrying  freight  down  the  lake.    Left  at  11  a,  m.  for 


Lake  Bei 
pounds. 
The  lake 
mile  wid 
narrow  s 
is  necess 
of  Lake 
means  ot 
portage, 
and  prici 
50  cents 
fruit,  $5i 
pound;  f 
$5  apieci 
wages  of 
from  $25 
forty  or  1 
ends  her 
Bennett 
much  im] 
the  next 
isen  to  C 

August 

mperitt 
nowing 

eeping 
bout  3,0 
o-day  th 
cross 

omiual 
sible  to 
feet  per  c 
ton  boat 
wind  froi 

AuguH 
ere  witl 
the  tr 

enty  n 
om  him 
istablish 
he  Dom 
to  begin 
>assing 
lyare,  fro 
sent;  clo 
tfiuers'  I 


tl 


his  liospi- 
^rrived  at 
e  contains 
Tom  et  al. 
no  food — 
intauce  of 
auces  was 
lalf  a  tea- 
people  on 

eon  boats 
led.  Logs 
ilea  across 
and  at  the 
;li  to  carry 
ically  pro- 
$50  a  liuu- 
ioe.  Good 
iwing  1am- 
ligh  as  $25 
Is  reported 
crossed  the 


from  po^t- 
ilkat  Jack 

mile  or  so 
ne  to  await 
weather, 
with  packs 
edition,  solo 
n.  Should 
br  passage 
r,  and  hope 
'ter  of  cari- 
t  on  bacon. 
.  Seventy- 
day.  Tiiey 
The  prirc 
Iling  to-day 

iilkat  Jack 
jish  Tom  as 
ake  whisky, 
ong  Lake  is 
;  11  a,  m.  for 


THE   ALASKAN  GOLD   FIELDS. 


307 


Lake  Bennett  in  Peterboro  canoe.  Outfit  of  entire  party,  weighing  4,000 
pounds,  was  ferried  to  the  foot  of  Lake  Lindeman,  six  miles,  for  $30. 
The  lake  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  about  six  miles  long  and  one 
mile  wide.  It  empties  into  Lake  Bennett  through  a  very  crooked  and 
narrow  stream,  full  of  rocks  and  rapids,  and  dangerous  for  boats.  It 
is  necessary  to  make  a  portage  of  three-quarters  of  a  mile  to  the  head 
of  Lake  Bennett,  boats  being  let  down  through  the  swift  stream  by 
means  of  ropes.  Beached  the  foot  of  the  lake  at  12.30  p.  m.,  made  the 
portage,  and  camped  at  the  head  of  Lake  Bennett  at  5  p.  m.  Wages 
and  prices  at  Lindeman  and  Bennett  to-day:  Whisky,  $8  a  bottle  and 
50  cents  a  drink;  bacon,  $1  j)er  pound;  llonr,  $80  per  hundred;  dried 
fruit,  $50  per  hundred;  beans,  $50  per  hundred;  tobacco,  $2  jicr 
lK)und;  fish  and  game,  $1  per  pound ;  nails,  $1  per  pound;  horse  shoes, 
$5  apiece;  horseshoe  nails,  $1  apiece;  boots,  $18;  shoes,  $12  to  $15; 
wages  of  boatbuildors,  $15  a  day  and  board.  Many  packers  iire  making 
from  $25  to  $30  a  day.  About  200  people  are  camped  here,  t::ere  being 
forty  or  fifty  tents  scattered  along  the  lake  shore.  The  Skagway  trail 
ends  here.  About  100  men  have  succeeded  in  getting  their  outfits  to 
Bennett  by  the  Skagway  route.  It  is  reported  that  the  trail  has  been 
much  improved,  and  that  many  hundreds  will  get  over  in  the  course  of 
the  next  fortnight.  The  price  of  packing  on  the  Skagway  trail  has 
iisen  to  60  cents  per  pound. 

August  30. — Baw  and  cold,,  and  a  drizzling  rain  fell  all  night.  The 
temperftture  is  getting  lower  and  lower;  45  this  morning.  It  has  been 
nowing  on  the  mountains  for  two  or  three  days,  and  the  snow  lino  is 
eeping  toward  the  valleys  at  the  rate  of  500  feet  a  d;iy,  it  now  being 
,bout  3,000  feet  above  sea  level  and  1,000  above  the  valleys.  Learned 
0-day  that  the  man  who  has  been  building  boat  at  sawmill  two  miles 
cross  the  head  of  the  Jake  has  been  sick  and  made  no  progress, 
ominal  price  of  lumber  at  sawmill,  $500  a  thousand,  but  it  is  impos- 
sible to  secure  any,  as  the  proprietors  require  their  entire  output  (800 
feet  per  day)  for  the  construction  of  Ijoats  already  contracted  for.  Two- 
ton  boats  selling  to-day  for  $350  and  $400.  liaiued  all  day,  with  cold 
wind  from  the  north. 
August  31. — Met  sergeant  of  the  Northwest  mounted  police,  who  is 
ere  with  a  pioneer  party  of  seven  men  for  the  purpose  of  building  boats 
br  the  transportation  to  Lake  Tagish  and  Dawson  of  six  officers  and 
wenty  men  of  the  force  now  coming  over  the  Skagway  trail.  Received 
om  him  first  authentic  information  relative  to  the  customs  station  just 
stablished  at  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Tagish.  A  customs  collector  of 
he  Dominion  Government  has  passed  down  the  lakes  and  is  expected 
o  begin  the  levy  of  duties  to-morrow  on  all  unbonded  American  goods 
assing  his  station.  The  following  rates  are  to  be  charged :  On  hard- 
are,  from  30  to  35  per  cent  ad  valorem;  provisions,  from  15  to  20  per 
nt;  clothing,  from  20  to  25  per  cent;  tobacco,  50  ctMits  per  pound, 
iuers'  blankets,  clothing  in  actual  use,  and  100  pounds  of  pi'ovisiona 


808 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


will  be  allowed  iu  free.  Apart  from  these  exemptions  the  duty  on 
ordinary  outfits  will  average  about  25  per  cent.  Still  raining,  with 
sharp  north  wind,  and  snowing  in  the  mountains. 

September  1, — Still  raining,  with  cold  wind  blowing  from  the  north. 
Five  boats  came  down  from  Lindeman  to  day.  Our  boat  will  be  com- 
pleted to-morrow. 

September 2. — Bight  boats  started  down  the  lake  today.  Weather 
very  favorable,  the  wind  blowing  from  the  south.  Bained  during  the 
afternoon.  Have  just  learned  that  the  mounted  police,  by  right  of 
eminent  domain,  made  a  demand  to-day  on  the  proprietors  of  the  saw- 
mill for  its  entire  output  until  their  boats  are  completed.  This  will 
delay  us  several  days. 

September  4. — Kained  all  day  yesterday,  but  is  clear  to-day,  with  south 
wind.  Seven  boats  passed  down  Bennett  today.  A  very  large  pro- 
portion of  those  passing  down  the  lake  are  poorly  outfitted,  many  hav- 
ing less  than  500  pounds  apiece.  About  forty  men  have  come  down 
over  the  Skagway  trail  with  their  outfits  during  the  past  three  days,  and 
report  that  many  more  are  this  side  of  the  summit.  Day  closed  with 
drizzling  rain. 

September  5. — Still  raining,  with  a  strong  north  wind,  and  fifteen  or 
twenty  boats  are  held  up,  waiting  for  fair  wind.  Boat  is  completed  all 
bnt  the  calking,  which  will  be  done  to-morrow. .  Price  of  packing  on 
the  J)yea  trail  has  risen  to  47  cents  a  pound,  an  increase  of  9  cents 
during  the  past  ten  days.  Ferrymen  on  the  lakes  are  making  from 
$250  to  $350  a  day  apiece.    The  price  of  boats  has  risen  to  $500. 

September  (1. — Boat  came  over  from  the  sawmill  at  7  o'clock  iu  the 
evening.  She  is  20  feet  in  length  and  8  feet  beam  on  top,  22  feet  in 
length  and  5  feet  beam  on  bottom,  and  28  inches  deep,  and  will  carry 
with  ease  five  men  and  5,000  pounds.  Builder  was  offered  $800  for 
her  by  another  party.    Start  down  the  lake  to-morrow. 

September  7. — Started  for  the  north  at  7  a.  m.  Weather  delightful, 
but  no  wind.  Four  men  at  the  oars.  Beached  Division  Island,  half- 
way down  the  lake,  at  12  o'clock,  and  camped  for  dinner.  Got  uader 
way  at  1.30.  Bennett  is  twenty-six  miles  long,  with  an  extreme  width 
of  five  miles.  Mountains  rise  abruptly  from  the  water  on  either  shore, 
some  to  a  height  of  8,000  feet.  There  are  twelve  boats  in  sight, 
forming  a  procession  five  or  six  miles  long.  At  2.30  a  stifl^'  breeze 
sprung  up  from  the  south,  the  10  by  12  tent  was  hoisted  as  a  sail,  and 
at  6.30  p.  m.  the  boat  entered  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  and  a  camp  was 
made  for  the  night  at  Caribou  Crossing,  which  received  its  name  from 
the  fact  that  the  barren-land  caribou  cross  here  in  their  migration 
south  in  the  fall  and  return  in  the  spring.  A  flock  of  950  head  of 
sheep  here  awaiting  the  construction  of  scows  to  transport  them  to 
Dawson.  '  wo  double-decked  scows,  18  by  40  feet,  are  being  built. 
The  sheep  were  driven  in  over  the  Dyea  trail.  The  start  was  made 
with  1,000  head,  and  they  reached  Lindeman  in   six  days.    After 


grazing 
of  Liiii 
days,  a 
and  th( 
Stpfe 
were  \v( 
south, ! 
ofWin( 
uionntii 
I  diizzlin 
always 
iiig,  am 
until  tl 
higli  m( 
stretch 
or  eiglil 
shore,  a 
look  foi 
they  ar 
fresh  m 
the  sou 
I  IJuidu  J 
\  ing  at  5 
•iundtTgf 
> opened 
HptTdiiy 
Iiis  inst: 
•was  pit 
sclicdul 
I'niti'd 
Pro('oe( 
beautiii 
p)hi('k 
;tonis  ofl 
jrequiret 
i    Septei 
|li'o  con 
kilo  L'i 
d'cotto 
lion  of  1 
tlioir  an 
jat  the  u 
:  full  sail 
Jage  broi 
■biarsliy 
itheenti 
4; 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


309 


the  duty  on 
liiiiug,  with 

I  the  north, 
will  be  com- 


r.    Weather 

1  during  the 

by  right  of 

of  the  saw- 

1.    This  will  I 

r,  with  south  i 
y  large  i)ro-  i 
I,  many  hav-  \ 
)  come  down  j 
•ee  days,  and  k 
'  closed  with 

nd  fifteen  or 
ompleted  all 
'  packing  on 
je  of  9  cents 
naking  from 
[)  $500. 
clock  ill  the 


5P: 


22  feet  in 


tid  will  carry 
red  $800  for 

3r  delightful, 
Island,  half- 
Got  uader 
ftreme  width 
either  shore, 
its  in  sight, 

stiff  breeze 
[IS  a  sail,  and 
I  a  camp  was 
ts  name  from 
iir  migration 

950  head  of 
port  them  to 

being  built. 
irt  was  made 
days.    After 


grazing  a  few  days  at  Liudeman,  they  were  driven  down  the  east  bank 
of  Liiidonian  and  Bennett  to  this  point,  the  journey  occupying  six 
days,  and  forty  head  being  lost  en  route.  Sixteen  men  are  employed, 
and  there  are  about  twenty  head  of  horses  in  use. 

Stptemhcr  8. — Left  Caribou  Crossing  at  7.30  n.  m,,  and  within  an  hour 
were  well  into  LakeTagish.  "Windy  Arm  comes  into  the  lake  from  the 
south,  about  three  miles  from  Cq,ribou  Crossing.  Opposite  the  mouth 
of  Windy  Arm  are  three  islands,  and  the  arm  itself  is  inclosed  by  high 
mountains  covered  with  snow,  now  burnished  by  the  sunshine  to  a 
dazzling  brilliancy.  The  guidebooks  state  that  a  strong  wind  is 
always  blowing  through  Windy  Arm,  but  it  is  not  blowing  this  morn- 
ing, and  the  oars  are  in  use.  Boats  should  kee])  to  the  right-hand  side 
until  the  arm  is  passed.  The  eastern  shore  of  Tagish  is  bordered  by 
high  mountains  of  limestone,  and  on  the  western  shore  there  is  a  wide 
stretch  of  well-timbered  lowlands,  rising  to  a  range  of  high  hills  seven 
or  eiglit  miles  from  the  lake.  Camped  for  dinner  at  1  p.  m.  on  the  west 
shore,  about  ten  miles  from  Caribou  Crossing.  Went  into  the  woods  to 
look  for  signs  of  game.  Many  moose  and  wolf  tracks  were  found,  but 
they  are  tliree  or  four  weeks  old,  indicating  that  we  are  too  late  for 
fresh  meat.  Got  under  way  at  2  o'clock.  Good  breeze  sprang  up  from 
the  south  at  3  o'clock,  sail  was  hoisted,  and  at  G  came  in  sight  of  the 
Tuidu  Jack  of  the  customs  station  at  the  foot  of  the  lake.  Made  land- 
,  ing  at  station  at  7  o'clock.  Found  seven  or  eight  boats  tied  up  here, 
i  undergoing  inspection.  Courteously  received  by  the  collector.  Station 
opened  for  busir.ess  September  1,  receipts  up  to  date  averaging  $1,200 
pt'r  day.  Collector  stated  that  he  was  making  it  as  light  on  the  boys  as 
his  instructions  would  permit,  and  that,  while  the  duty  on  some  articles 
was  pretty  high,  he  was  happy  to  say  that  there  was  nothing  in  his 
schedule  (juite  as  oppressive  as  the  $30  duty  being  charged  by  the 
United  States  coHector  at  Skagway  on  broken-down  Canadian  cayuses. 
Pro(;eeded  down  Lhe  river  about  a  mile  and  camped  for  the  night  in  a 
beautilul  piece  of  woodland.  Pitched  tent  alongside  that  of  a  party  of 
IHuck  Hills  miners.  They  completed  their  transaction  with  the  cus- 
toms ofhcials  two  hours  ago,  and  are  still  talking  about  it.  They  were 
retiuired  to  pay  $80  on  a  two-ton  outfit. 

!    tieptemher  !). — Broke  camp  at  8  a.  m.    Lake  Tagish  and  ]\Iarsh  Lake 

lire  connected  by  a  broad  stream,  M'ith  slow  current,  known  as  Six 

]^lilo  Biver.    There  are  lowlands  on  either  side,  covered  with  a  growth 

bf  Cottonwood  and  white  spruce.    At  8. 10  passed  Tagish  Houses,  a  coUei'. 

=;tion  of  log  houses  on  the  right-hand  bank  of  the  river.     Tlu-  Indians  hold 

their  annual  festivals  here,  and  have  a  burying  ground  and  crematory 

at  the  upper  end  of  the  village.    Entered  Marsh  Lake  at  0  a.  m.,  under 

lull  sail  in  a  stiff  breeze.    The  lake  is  twenty  miles  long,  with  an  aver. 

|age  breadth  of  two  miles,  and  is  very  shallow,  be'Tie  bordered  by  low, 

"marshy  lands,  from  which  it  derives  its  name.     Had  a  five-mile  breeze 

the  entire  length  of  the  lake,  arriving  at  the  foot  at  1.15  p.  m.    Weather 

4584— No.  16 2 


810 


BULLETIN   OF   THE   DEPARTMENT    OP   LABOR. 


I 


delightful,  like  an  October  day  on  Minnetonka  or  Lake  George.  Six  or 
seven  miles  below  Marsh  Liike  high-ciit  banks  are  encountered,  in  many 
places  from  50  to  KM)  feet  in  lieight.  The  faces  of  tlie  banks  are  honey- 
combed by  millions  of  holes,  wliich  are  the  homes  of  bank  swallows 
during  the  summer,  but  are  now  deserted.  Cami)ed  at  3..'J0,  on  account 
of  heavy  rain,  about  ten  miles  below  Marsh  Lake.  Party  of  six  Colo- 
rado miners,  with  two  boats  and  live  tons  of  provisions,  landed  at  5 
o'clock  and  campe<l  for  tlie  night,  lieport  that  they  were  required  to 
pay  5*115  in  duties  at  Trcish,  and  as  the  higli  rate  of  packing  on  the 
trail  had  made  their  funds  run  low  they  were  oblige<l  to  part  with  a 
portion  of  their  Hour  and  other  supplies  to  appease  the  collector.  This 
unexpected  and  therefore  unprepared-lbr  levy  is  working  great  hard- 
ship, and  is  productive  of  many  decidedly  one-sided  tariff  disi'ussions. 

September  10. — Started  at  7.15  a.  m.  Fifteen  miles  to  the  Grand 
Canyon.  Some  nervousness  aboard.  Weather  delightfully  cool  and 
air  exhilarating.  Easy  to  imagine  we  are  floating  down  tho.Hudson  on 
a  bright  October  day.  High-cut  banks  on  either  shore.  Eiver  from 
three  to  four  hundred  feet  wide  and  very  deep,  with  a  three-mile 
current. 

10.30  a.  m. — The  current  has  increased  to  five  miles  an  hour,  with 
frequent  riffles.  One  of  the  party,  who  has  been  down  the  river  before, 
says  that  it  is  only  three  miles  to  the  canyon.  Eiver  narrow  and  deep, 
and  current  increasing. 

11.00  a.  m. — A  board  nailed  to  a  tree  and  displaying  the  word 
"Stop!"  indicates  that  we  are  approaching  the  canyon.  Boat  keeps 
close  to  the  right-hand  bank  here. 

11.12  a.  m. — The  canyon  is  in  sight,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away.  The 
river  just  above  the  entrance  to  the  canyon,  which  suggests  the  Gate- 
way to  the  Garden  of  the  Gods,  is  six  or  seven  hundred  feet  wide  and 
presents  the  appearance  of  an  immense  niilldam.  There  is  an  eddy  on 
the  right,  where  half  a  dozen  boats  .are  moored  to  the  shore  for  the 
purpose  of  making  the  portage.  With  one  man  at  the  helm  and  two 
oars  working,  the  boat  swung  far  out  to  the  left  and  entered  the 
canyon  straight  down  the  center,  riding  the  crest  of  the  rapids  like  a 
duck.  Held  watch  and  timed  the  passage  through  the  canyon,  the 
distance  o^  three-quarters  of  a  mile  being  made  in  3  n)inutes  and  20  sec- 
onds, indicating  a  current  of  about  thirteen  miles  an  hour.  Shot  the 
rapids  below  the  canyon  and  landed  on  left  bank,  just  above  the 
White  Horse  Rapids,  for  dinner.  The  canyon,  which  is  from  60  to  100 
feet  in  width,  is  formed  by  perpendicular  walls  of  basaltic  rock  from 
50  to  100  feet  high.  About  half  way  through  there  is  a  whirlpool  about 
100  feet  in  diameter,  and  it  is  necessary  to  keep  at  work  on  the  oars  to 
prevent  the  boat  from  being  caught  in  the  circling  waters.  There  is  a 
skidway  to  tlie  right  of  the  canyon,  and  niauy  transport  their  boats  and 
cargoes  over  this  portage  of  one  mile  in  preference  to  shooting  the 
canyon.    There  are  about  twenty  boats  and  perhaps  one  hundred 


THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


311 


people  at  the  canyon  and  tlio  rapids,  making  the  portage.    Took  the 


opportunity  during  tlie  dinner  hour  to   wiiliv  down  to  the  head  of 


part  with  a 
lector.    This 
great  hard- 
discussions. 


©.Hudson  on 

Biver  from 

a  three-mile 


)rge.    Six  of 
red,  in  many 

:8  are  honey-    t'*^  White  Uorse  Ka])ids,  two  miles  below  the  canyon.    The  river  nmkes 

uk  swallows  '  **"  abrupt  turn  right  at  the  head  of  the  rapids,  making  it  difticult  to 

)  on  account    strike  the  crest.    Anyone  who  is  ambitious  to  shoot  the  rapids,  except 

of  six  Colo-    ft***  steersman,  is  advised  to  forego  inspection  of  them  in  advance,  as  the 

landed  at  5    sight  in  most  cases  results  in  a  decision  to  make  the  i)ortage  instead. 

9  required  to  » The  rapids  are  about  half  a  mile  long,  and  the  immense  volume  of  water, 

eking  on  the  \with  swirling  and  high-breaking  waves,  sweeps  down  the  incline  at  a 

peed  of  fifteen  miles  an  hour.    The  river,  which  is  300  feet  wide  at  the 

eadof  the  rapids,  contracts  to  forty  at  the  foot,  where  the  confined  waters 

sh  through  the  narrow  gateway  with  foam  crowned  turbulence  and 

fthen  sweep  on  with  a  seven-mile  current  for  a  few  hundred  yards,  finally 

imiug  their  placid  course.    There  is  a  short  iiortage  at  the  rapids 

illy  cool  and  ?^"d  ^  skidway  for  boats,  which  are  used  by  most  voyagers,  but  very 

lew  attempting  to  shoot  the  rapids  with  full  cargo.    At  the  head  of 

the  rapids  scores  of  trees  have  been  denuded  of  their  bark  and  the 

trunks  covered  with  hundreds  of  names  of  those  who  have  passed 

flown  the  river,  many  inscriptions  five  or  six  years  old  being  still 

decipherable.    Notices  on  the  bulletin  board  indicate  that  from  six  to 

iifteen  boats  i^er  day  have  shot  the  rapids  during  the  past  ten  days. 

There  has  been  but  one  accident  in  that  time,  and  that  was  in  the  case 

of  a  boat  which  the  timid  owners  attcmi)ted  to  let  down  through  the 

•tapids  by  means  of  ropes,  the  boat  being  dashed  to  pieces  on  the  rocks. 

Several  graves  at  the  rapids.    There  are  a  number  of  experienced  river 

tien  hero  engaged  in  taking  boats  tlirough  the  canyon  and  the  rapids, 

their  charge  for  services  being  $25  per  boat.    On  the  bulletin  board 

Vas  a  notice,  signed  by  a  party  of  five  men  from  San  Francisco,  to  the 

effect  that  they  had  shot  the  rapids  the  day  before  without  portaging  a 

pound  of  cargo,  accompar".  >1  by  the  statement  that  theirs  was  the  only 

boat  out  of  thirteen  that  .  .>,  accomplished  the  feat.     This  party  had 

elm  and  two   I'mtled  below  the  rapids  and  sent  one  of  their  number  back  to  post  the 

entered  the  liotice.    Our  ste<'rsman  read  the  notice  and  wrote  immediately  below 

it,  "We  did  the  same  September  10,"  signing  the  names  of  our  party. 

Started  through  the  rapids  at  1.07  and  shot  them  successfully,  ship;:ing 

Only  about  a  barrel  of  water  and  i)assing  down  the  river  Avithout  stop- 

||Biig.     Camped  for  the  night  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tahkeciia,  sixteen 

st  above  the  #'^^^  below  the  White  Ilorse  Eapids.    The  Tahkeena,  which  conies 

rom  60  to  100  ^^'"  *^'^  Avest,  is  about  half  as  large  as  the  Lewes  and  has  a  sluggish 

ic  rock  from  <l^irrent  at  its  mouth. 

lirlpool  about  '  September  11^ — Left  camp  at  7.30  a.  ni.  Beautiful,  bright  morning, 
on  the  oars  to  Current  about  four  miles  an  hour.  Eeached  the  head  of  Lake  Lebarge, 
s  There  is  a  fourteen  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Tahkeena,  at  10  a.  m.  A  few 
leir  boats  and  f''^^^  below  the  Tahkeena  the  valley  becomes  very  broad  and  the  river 
shootiiiff  the  freaks  into  many  channels,  with  sluggish  current.  Kept  the  left-hand 
one  hundred  f^f^nnel  and  entered  the  lake  at  10  a.  ra.    The  lake  is  thirty-one  miles 


m  hour,  with 
>  river  before, 
ow  and  deep, 

ng  the  word 
Boat  keeps 

away.  The 
sts  the  Gate- 
feet  wide  and 
is  an  eddy  on 
shore  for  the 


rapids  like  a 
J  canyon, the 
;es  and  20  sec- 
ur.     Shot  the 


312 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


long  and  neven  or  eight  iiiiloa  wide  at  tlio  island,  abont  ten  niilos  froiiMrcnt  foi 
the  head,  having  an  averago  width  of  about  live  miles.     Its  elevation  j comes  i 
above  wea  level  in  about  13,1(10  feet.     Along  the  eastern  sliore,  for  a  dis  'barely 
tanee  of  six  or  eight  miles  from  the  upper  end  ()f  the  lake,  there  are! passing 
gently  sloping  uplands,  covered  with  timber  and  terminating  in  baldibelowt 
hills  of  a  height  of  a  thousand  feet  or  more,  forming-:  the  footh.ills  of  a  j      Scptc 
high  range  of  mountains  running  parallel  with  the  iake.     Farther  down  |  in  the 
the  lake  limestone  bluIVs  rise  abruptly  from  the  water's  edge  and  become  -;  sloughij 
high  nu)untain8  in  the  distance.     On  the  west  shore  the  hills  are  gen-    Little  i 
erally  well  wooded.     Lebarge  is  frequently  swept  by  strong  winds  for  |]'or  nn 
days  at  a  time,  and  when  the  wind  is  from  tiie  north  it  is  oft^Pii  an    being  ' 
impossibility  to  get  down  the  lake.     It  is  the  rule  to  foHow  the  west    curren 
sliore  to  the  island,  as  it  is  dillicult  to  make  a  huiding  on  the  east  sliore  ,  ing  ]ios 
in  ca^eof  a  squall.     To  the  '«>land  had  a  fair  south  wind,  which  incsreased  ,  Salnioi 
to  a  seven  mile  breeze  aV        '3  ]).  m.,  and  at  5.30  the  boat  entered  the     acres  ii 
outlet  at  the  northeast  c(  f  the  lake,    (lamped  at  7  o'clock  on  the    larch,  ^ 

west  bank  of  the  river,  about  six  miles  below  the  lake.  |  pnrtial 

Sopfeviher  12, — This  being  Sunday,  we  decided  to  take  a  rest.  Three  |  The  dt 
of  the  party  went  into  the  mountains  to  the  westward  to  look  for  ■  There  i 
moose.  lieturned  at  noon  and  repoited  numy  signs  of  large  game,  ■  stove  i 
but  two  or  three  weeks  old.  A  number  of  beautiful  lakes  weie  found  occupy 
five  or  six  miles  from  the  river,  lying  high  in  the  hills.  United  States  ;  Sinct 
nmil  carrier  passed  up  during  the  morning.  Keports  rich  strike  on  «|  des(dat 
Stewart  River,  prosjiects  runiung  as  high  as  $72  to  the  pan.  Brings  iii\onntii 
lirst  news  we  have  had  tVoui  the  Kloiulike,  stating  that  there  is  a  short-  iTlu  hil 
age  of  provisions  and  that  no  new  strikes  have  been  made  in  the  Klon-  Iwild  oa 
dike  district.  Carrier  is  traveling  by  the  only  means  of  getting  out  of  fbrillian 
the  country  by  this  route  at  this  tinui  of  year — a  ixding  boat,  which  is  ,f  here  ol 
ei,uhteen  feet  Jong. and  two  and  a  half  feet  wide.  The  boat  is  ])r()pelled  ^a  tive-ii 
by  means  of  a  twelve-foot  pole,  it  being  necessary  to  keep  in  close  to  Shigh  w 
sliore  to  avoid  the  swift  current  and  get  good  bottom.  A  good  poler  -mount; 
can  make  about  a  mile  aii  hour  in  the  main  river,  but  by  tiikint;' 
advantage  of  sloughs  and  cut-oils  can  average  from  filteen  to  twenty 
miles  a  day. 

"  Broke  camp  at  J  p.  m.  iiright,  warm  day,  with  an  exhilarating 
atmosphere.  Current,  which  is  about  three  miles  an  hour  Just  thisside 
of  Lebarge,  gradually  increases  to  five  or  six  miles.  (Jnite  a  number 
of  bad  rocks  in  the  river  from  ten  to  liitecn  miles  below  the  lake,  and 
ten  miles  farther  down  there  are  rapids  with  an  eight-mile  current. 
Passed  the  mouth  of  the  llootalinqua  or  Teslin  Biver,  about  thirty 
miles  below  Lebarge,  at  5  o'clock.  This  river  enters  the  Lewes  from 
the  soutlic<ist,  and  seems  to  be  .somewhat  smaller  than  the  Lewes. 
Canjped  at  0  o'clock  about  ten  nules  below  the  llootalinqua. 

SepUuiber  13, — Started  at  (i.50  a.  m.  Ice  formed  in  water  bucket  to 
a  thickness  of  half  an  inch,  and  light  fall  of  snow,  1)arely  covering  the 
ground,  duriiiy  the  night.     Shaip  wind  blowing  Irom  the  north.     Cur- 


miles  i 
vales  \ 
west  1) 
rapids 
dividei 
The  ri 
There 
a  num 

degre( 
a.  m., 
old  D 
''Halt 
the  ne 
five  m 


)R. 


THE    ALASKAN   GOLD    FIELDS. 


313 


ten  iiiilos  froinlreut  four  or  five  miles  an  hour.  Passed  the  Bi«:  Suliuoi;  lliver,  wiiich 
Its  elevation  icomes  into  the  Lewes  IVom  the  east,  at  11  a.  m.  Many  Hocks  ofcraiios, 
lore,  for  a  (lis  I  barely  visible  as  orderly  changing'  iiiiei-..  of  black  far  up  the  sky,  are 
ake,  tliere  arelpjissinj;  to  the  southward.  Camped  for  the  night  about  thirty  miles 
lating  in  bald  -below  the  Big  Salmon, 
foothills  of  a  Sipicmher  li. — lee  formed  to  a  thickness  of  three-quarters  of  an  inch 
Farther  down  ill  the  water  bucket  during  the  night,  and  there  is  film  of  ice  on  the 
je  and  become  sloughs.  Beautiful  sunny  morning.  Broke  camp  at  (!.r>().  Passed 
hills  are  gen-  sLittle  Sahnon  IMver,  which  enters  tlie  Lewes  from  the  east,  at  7.50. 
i)ng  winds  for  |].'oi'  many  miles  below  the  Little  Salmon  the  river  is  narrow  and  deep, 
t  is  often  an  fbeing  eouflned  by  high,  Mooded  hills  and  having  a  four  or  live  mile 
•How  the  west  ? current.     Landed  at  1.15  p.  ni.  at  (leorge  W.  Oormack's  deseited  trad- 


the  east  shore 
lich  increased; 
I  entered  the 
o'clock  on  the 


I  rest.  Three 
1  to  look  for 
'  large  game, 
's  were  found 
'iiited  States 
ich  strike  on 
pan.  Brings 
ere  is  aslioit- 
•>  in  the  Klon- 


ing  post,  locate  on  the  left  bank,  about  forty  miles  below  the  Little 
Salmon.  On  this  side  of  the  river  there  is  a  table  land  several  hundred 
acres  in  extent,  covered  with  bunch  grass  and  a  growth  of  scrubby  fir, 
larch,  willows,  etc.,  and  on  the  east  side  there  are  high  rolling  hills, 
partially  wooded  and  becoming  mountains  farther  to  the  eastward. 
The  deserted  store  is  a  well-built  cabin,  about  K!  by  24  feet  in  size. 
There  are  but  two  articles  of  furniture  in  the  cabin — a  large  heating 
stove  made  of  a  coal-oil  tank,  and  a  pine  table,  minus  one  leg  and 
occupying  a  semirecumbent  position  in  a  corner  of  the  room. 

Since  0  o'clock  a  cold  north  wind  has  been  blowing-  and  the  place  is 
desolate  beyond  de>cription.  Stoiijjed  at  3..")0  and  ascended  a  high 
mountain  on  the  right  bank  to  a  height  of  seven  or  eight  hundred  feet. 
The,  hillsides  are  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  bunch  grass  aiul 
wild  oats,  and  thousands  of  grasshoppers  wing  theirhalting  '.light  in  the 
»etting  out  of  j^brilliant  sunshine.  A  magnificent  view  of  the  surrounding  country  is 
;oat,  w]ii<;h  is  Jhere  obtained.  The  river,  six  or  seven  hundred  feet  wide,  sweeps  with 
t  is  i)ropelled  la  tlve-mile  current  two  miles  to  the  northward  and  disappears  round  a 
'P  in  close  to  thigh  wooded  mountain,  while  to  the  westward  range  beyond  range  of 
\  good  poh'i  ^mountains,  nmny  covered  with  snow,  fade  to  the  horizon,  a  hundred 
it  by  taking  -miles  away — 10,0(10  sciuare  miles  of  forest-dad  hills  and  intervening 
en  to  twenty  vales  where  the  foot  of  a  white  man  has  never  trod,  Camped  on  the 
west  bank,  at  the  head  of  Five  Finger  l{ai)i(ls.  at  5  o'clock.  These 
.rapids  are  very  swift,  but  short.  There  are  three  principal  channels, 
|divided  by  basaltic  columns  from  twenty-five  to  forty  feet  in  height. 
-The  right-hand  and  middle  channels  are  generally  chosen  by  boatmen. 
There  is  but  little  danger,  if  boat  is  kept  to  center  of  channel,  although 
a  number  of  boats  have  been  swamped  here. 

Sc^ytembcr  i5.— Very  cold  during  the  night,  temperature  falling  to  24 


exhilarating 
Just  this  side 
te  a  number 
he  lake,  and 
nile  current, 
about  thirty 
!  Lewes  from 
the  Lewes, 
a. 

!r  bucket  to 
!overing  the 
Dorth.     Cur- 


degrees  and  ice  forming  to  a  thickness  of  an  inch.  Broke  camp  at  7 
a.  m.,  and  sliot  the  middle  channel.  Two  miles  below  the  rapids  the 
old  Dalton  trail  strikes  the  river.  A  signboard  displays  the  words: 
"  1  )aIton  Trail ;  250  miles  to  Chilkat."'  This  trail  has  been  abandoned  for 
the  new  Dalton  trail,  which  strikes  the  river  at  Fort  Selkirk,  about  fifty- 
five  miles  below,    A  herd  of  sixty-four  head  of  beef  cattle  are  grazing 


'd 


r" 


314 


BULLETIN    OP    THE    DEPARTMENT    OF    LABOR. 


n 


i 


he:*e,  awaiting  cold  weather,  when  they  will  be  bntcheivd  and  taken  to 
DP/Wson  on  rafts.  Shot  liink  Rai^ids,  six  miles  below  Five  Fingers,  at 
8.45  a.  m.  Boat  keeps  to  the  right,  where  there  is  mo  danger,  as  t)ie 
channel  is  wide  and  deep.  Thirty  miles  below  IJink  Kapids  ]>as^ed 
party  with  three  hirge  rafts,  which  are  being  taken  to  Fort  Selkirk  for 
the  purpose  of  transporting  beef  to  Dawson.  It  was  necessary  to  come 
this  far  up  to  get  good  logs.  At  the  mouth  of  the  I'elly,  five  miles 
above  Fort  Selkirk,  hail  two  miners  poling  up  the  river.  Their  only 
reply  is:  "If  you  haven't  plenty  of  grub,  you  had  bettor  turn  back." 
Landed  at  Fort  Selkirk,  which  is  located  on  the  west  bank  of  the  rivor, 
flfty-five  mile,!  below  Five  Fingers  and  IGO  miles  above  Dawson,  at 
3.30  p.  m. 

There  is  a  trading  post  here  conducted  by  Harper  &  Ladue,  and  they 
have  a  number  of  good  buildings.  There  is  a  large  vegetable  gar<len 
here,  aiul  about  150  head  of  cabbage  are  maturing  in  the  open  air. 
Between  fifty  and  sixty  bushels  of  potatoes  were  raised  during  the 
boason.  The  Church  of  England  has  a  fine  mission  here,  but  it  is  now 
deserted  on  account  of  the  lack  of  supplies.  There  is  quite  a  large 
Indian  village  at  the  upper  end  of  the  settlement.  On  the  door  of  the 
store  is  the  following  notice:  ''Parties  contemplating  going  out  this 
se^ison  take  notice  that  no  i>rovision8  of  any  kind  can  be  obtained  here, 
except,  possibly,  a  little  moose  meat,  and  dog  salmon  in  small  quanti- 
ties for  dog  feed.  No  freight  steamer  has  been  here  for  two  years.  No 
flour  can  be  had."  Inside  the  shelv^es  are  barren,  and  the  trader  ai)peals 
to  everyone  coming  down  the  river  for  a  little  flour  and  sugar.  All  the 
Indians,  and  even  fhe  post  trader,  have  a  lean  and  hungry  look,  and 
there  is  a  world  of  pathos  in  the  simple  remark  of  the  latter,  "I  don't 
know  how  we  are  going  to  get  through  the  winter."  A  register  is  kept 
at  the  store  of  those  passing  down  the  river.  There  are  1,870  names  on 
the  register  to  day,  and  about  500  have  been  counted  who  passed  with- 
out landing,  making  a  total  of  about  2,400  Avho  have  gone  to  the  new 
gold  fields  by  this  route  during  the  present  season.  Met  tliree  or  four 
polers  from  the  Klondike  here,  on  their  way  to  Dyea.  One  of  them,  a 
miner,  who  has  been  eight  days  in  making  the  100  miles  from  Dawson, 
displayetl  drafts  amounting  to  $32,000,  the  result  of  eight  jnonths' work. 
States  that  he  would  have  spent  the  winter  on  his  claim,  but  that  he 
was  obliged  to  get  out  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  provisions,  leaving 
his  partner  in  charge  with  their  scanty  stores.  Jack  Dalton  has  sixty- 
four  head  of  cattle  here,  and  Cameron,  Franklin  &  Heaney  have  sixty 
head.  Waiting  for  cold  weather  before  butchering,  and  will  then  take 
beef  to  Dawson  on  rafts.  They  are  selling  beef  for  50  cents  per  pcnind 
by  the  quarter.  There  are  thousands  of  acres  of  good  grazing  land  in 
this  vicinity.  Old  Fort  Selkirk,  which  was  located  across  the  river,  two 
or  three  miles  above  the  i)resent  post,  was  burned  by  the  Indians  in 
1852,  and  the  ruins  of  the  ehinnieys  can  still  be  seen.  It  was  one  of  the 
principal  imsts  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  in  this  region,  Bemained 
all  night  at  the  trading  i)ost. 


SepU 
propel 
four  mi 
GOO  sht 
I  river. 
I  Owner 
\  assist  1 
rather 
eight  n 
to  hav 
has  a 
known 
logs  fo 
miles 

bright 
White 
miles  b 
and  dii 
a  whit( 
stream 
up  into 
Looks 
Keach^ 
3.10,  I 
sluggis 
have  si 
selling 
Severa 
They  r 
stream 
I  unrelisi 
I  Sh(^  ]\i\ 
i  below. 


I  and  taken  to 
ve  Fiiij,'ers,  at 
langer,  as  the 
lapidis  ])a8sod 
rt  Selkirk  for 
ssary  to  come 
lly,  flyfe  miles 
'.  Their  only 
r  turn  back." 
k  of  the  rivt-r, 
0  Dawson,  at 

[Inc.,  and  they 
table  garden 
the  open  air. 
d  dnriiig  the 
bnt  it  is  i!o\v 
luite  a  large 
0  door  of  the 
:)ing  out  this 
btained  hero, 
small  quanti- 
se years,    No 
'ader  a])poals 
?ar.    All  the 
,'ry  look,  and 
;ter,  <' I  don't 
nster  is  kojit 
wC  names  on 
passed  with- 
e  to  the  new 
three  or  four 
te  of  them,  a 
'om  Dawson, 
lonths'work. 
but  that  he 
ions,  leaving 
)n  has  sixty- 
y  have  sixty 
ill  then  take 
s  per  jxtund 
/iiig  lan<I  ill 
Lie  river,  two 
?»  Indians  in 
IS  one  of  (lie 
Keinained 


THE    ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


315 


September  Id. — Broke  camp  at  0  a.  m.  W«^  are  now  in  the  Yukon 
proper.  It  is  about  half  a  mile  wide  and  very  deep,  with  current  of 
four  miles  an  hour.  Three  miles  below  Fort  Selkirk  i)assed  a  flock  of 
GOO  sheep,  wliich  are  grazing  on  the  lowlands  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
river.  Rafts  are  now  being  constructed  for  their  transportation  below. 
Owner  liailed  our  boat  and  offered  $1;"»  a  day  and  board  to  two  men  to 
assist  him.  Boys  all  decliuoil,  as  tliey  are  seeking  gold  in  the  abstract 
rather  than  the  concrete.  On  the  east  side  of  the  river,  extending  for 
eight  miles  below  the  moutli  of  the  Belly,  is  a  basaltic  plateau,  supposed 
to  have  come  from  a  volcano  twenty  or  thirty  miles  up  the  Belly.  It 
has  a  perpevidicular  front,  five  or  six  hundred  feet  in  height,  and  is 
known  as  the  Upper  Eamparts.  Bassed  several  paities  getting  out 
logs  for  building  i)urposes.  Camped  for  the  night  at  5.30,  about  fifty 
miles  below  Fort  Selkirk. 

iSeptcmhcr  17. — Left  camp  at  7.15  a.  m.  Weatlier  still  delightfully 
bright  and  i^leasant.  Bassed  the  mouth  of  White  Biver  at  12. .'lO. 
White  Biver,  which  comes  into  the  Yukon  from  the  west  aliout  ninety 
miles  below  Fort  Selkirk,  is  a  large  stream,  having  a  very  swift  current, 
and  discharging  into  the  Yukon  an  immense  volume  of  water  containing 
a  white  substance,  supposed  to  be  volcanic  ash,  that  discolors  the  main 
stream  for  a  long  distance.  Below  the  W^hito  Iliver  the  Yukon  breaks 
uj)  into  numerous  channels,  and  there  are  many  islands  and  sandbars. 
Looks  here  like  the  Missouri  between  Atchison  and  Leavenworth. 
Beached  the  mouth  of  Stewart  Biver,  ten  miles  below  White  Biver,  at 
3.10,  Stewart  Biver  Hows  into  the  Y'"ukon  from  the  east,  and  is  a  broad, 
sluggish  stream  at  its  mouth.  Quite  a  number  of  people  from  upriver 
have  stopped  here  to  get  out  house  logs,  as  it  is  reported  that  they  are 
selling  for  $300  a  set  in  Dawson  and  are  hard  to  find  lower  down. 
Several  pros^v  "tors  here,  just  returned  from  the  Stewart  Biver  country. 
They  report  that  nothing  has  been  struck  during  the  season  on  that 
stream  or  iH  tributaries.  Mail  carrier  Avas  evidently  misinfonned  or 
unreliable.  The  Koulnl',  a  10-ton  stern-wheel  steamboat,  is  tied  up  here. 
She  has  been  three  days  in  coming  from  Dawson,  about  seventy  miles 
below.  Tlas  a  half  ton  of  flour  and  other  iirovisions  for  Fort  Selkirk, 
and  the  captain  expects  to  reach  that  point  in  a  week.  If  the  Kouknk 
is  a  representative  type  of  the  Y'nkon  steamboat,  it  would  take  no 
prophet  to  predict  a  famine.  Captain  offered  110  a  day  and  board  for 
men  to  make  the  trip  to  Fort  Selkirk  and  return,  but  could  find  no  one 
willing  to  work  on  those  terms.  Ho  draws  a  gloomy  picture  of  affairs 
at  Dawson,  stating  that  there  have  been  no  new  strikes  and  that  the 
country  is  filling  up  Avith  people  half  provided  with  food  supplies. 
Camped  at  0  o'clock  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  about  six  miles  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Stewart. 

September  S3. — liCft  camp  at  8,15  a.  m.  Party  lias  been  getting  out 
house  logs  for  the  past  four  days.  Beached  Sixty  Mile  Bost,  twenty- 
one  miles  below  Stewart  Biver,  at  10.30,  and  stopped  for  a  few  minutes. 
The  post  is  ou  the  east  side  of  the  river,  o])po8ito  the  mouth  of  Sixty 


^p 


316 


BULLETIN   OF   THE   DEPAJKTMENT   OF   LABOR. 


Mile  Eiver,  whicli  womes  into  the  Yukon  from  the  west.  There  are 
some  good  placer  creeks  on  the  head  of  Sixty  Mile,  and  about  one 
hundred  miners  havi?  boeu  accustomed  to  winter  here,  llaiper  & 
Ladue  own  the  trading  post,  which  is  in/W  deserted  on  account  of  the 
KIoi idi  ke  excitement,  bei  ng  in.  charge  of  an  Indian.  Tlse  sawni ill,  which 
was  formerly  located  herv",  is  now  in  operation  at  Dawson,  Tlierc  is  a 
fine  vegetable  garden  here,and  large  cabbages  have  been  raised  dui'in.ir 
the  season,  while  about  150  bufsliels  of  potatoes  were  raised  and  found 
a  ready  sale  at  Dawson  for  $1  per  pound.  Camped  for  the  night  at  0 
o'clock,  about  thirty  miles  below  Sixty  Mile. 

September  23. — Left  ctimp  at  8  a.  m.,and  arrived  in  Dawson  at  11  a.  m. 
I>andcd  at  the  upper  end  of  town,  which  is  located  in  a  swamp  and 
oppressively  crude. 

THE  KLONDIKE. 

The  Klondike  River  enters  the  Yukon  from  the  southeast,  six  miles 
nbo^'ci  old  Fort  Reliance.  It  is  about  150  miles  long,  and  has  its  source 
in  a  lugli  raTige  of  mountains  which  separates  it  from  the  Stewart  Kiver 
ai'd  lis  tributaries.  At  its  mouth  an  island  divides  the  stream  into  two 
marly  efjiial  channels,  each  of  which  is  about  160  feet  wide  and  four  or 
fne  feet  deep,  at  a  medium  stage  of  water.  The  stream  is  very  ^s^vi^t, 
and  rapids  occur  at  i'requcut  intervals,  making  it  exceedingly  difiicult 
to  navigute  with  canoes.  Its  waters  are  clear  and  sliallow.  It  Ims 
be(!n  known  for  many  years  as  one  <>f  the  best  streams  in  the  country 
for  sahaon  fishing,  and  during  the  season  large  numbers  of  Indians 
camp  oil  its  shores  for  the  purpose  of  catching  and  drying  salmon.  For 
several  years  gold  has  been  known  to  exist  on  the  main  strenm,  but  it 
lias  nevtr  been  found  there  in  sufficient  (luaniities  to  .justify  working 
under  present  conditions  as  to  cost  of  supplies. 

The  original  discovery  of  gold  hi  paying  (piantities  in  the  Klondike 
district  was  made  by  (ieorgo  W.  Cormack,  who  came  to  the  Yukon 
country  twelve  years  ago  fnmj  Wisconsin,  and  who  liad  been  cngngcd 
in  prosj)Ccting  and  in  trading  with  the  fmlians  and  minors  at  vuiious 
points  on  thd  river.  On  -June  22, 18'J<),  Cormack  iunl  Lorcn  Co  );;er  left 
I^orty  Mile  for  the  month  of  the  Klondike.  It  was  Cormack's  indention 
to  .spend  the  summer  in  tisbing  un  the  Kh>ndike.  while ("ooper  projiosed 
to  develop  two  quartz  leads  situated  just  bciow  the  mouth  of  that 
stream  on  the  west  side  of  tlie  Yukon,  and  directly  opi»osit:e  tlic  present 
site  of  Daws'm.  Tliey  were  thus  engaged  in  the  early  part  of  August, 
wlien  Robert  Henderson,  an  oldtnne  prospector,  came  doM'n  the  Klon- 
di!:c  iHUi,  told  Cormack  that  he  Imd  found  on  the  headwaters  of  (Jold 
Bottom  Creek  some  ground  that  would  pay  15  cents  to  the  i)an. 

Cor?nack  accompanied  Henderson  to  Cohl  liottom,  but  not  being 
favorably  impressed  with  the  prospects,  returned  alone  to  the  mouih 
of  the  Klondike,  coming  down  the  creek  now  known  as  Bonaii/a.    On 


li 


^  lk._ 


* 


'I 


KLONDIKE  MINING  DISTRICT,  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


1 1 "'"- 1  "•'"^"'•^^^mmmmmmmim 


infor 

' 

days 

came 

150 

Sept 

cove 

j!: 

1    '! 

o 

uuinl 
date 
as  E 
mile 
t<>32 
iu  tl 

COlltt 

less 

fur  tr 

came 

some 

Klon 

thed 

plies 
until 
and 
the  8 

Ul 
but  r 

Bon; 

35  ce 

1 

Frou 

ll ^,„ 

t 

Hi 

BH 

^^^ 

THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


317 


his  way  back  he  ])rospecte(l  on  various  tributaries  of  Bonanza,  and  on 
the  main  creek  itself,  and,  finally,  at  a  point  about  twelve  miles  above 
the  mouth,  he  ibund  gold  in  sufficient  quantities  to  justify  him  in 
locating,  and  on  August  17,  1890,  he  staked  two  claims,  as  he  was 
allowed  to  do  under  the  law — one  now  known  as  "Discovery"  and  the 
other  as  "  Jfo.  1  below  Discovery" — and  gave  to  the  (;reck  the  name  it  now 
bears.  From  Discovery  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  creek  he  found  fiiir 
prospects  at  various  points  on  the  bars  and  in  the  rims,  pannin.u  <>nt 
altogether  f$i)  or  $6  in  coarse  gold,  the  largest  nugget  weighing  $1.10. 
Cormack  informed  Cooper  and  others  of  his  discovery,  and  leit  on 
August  19  for  Forty  Mile  for  the  purpose  of  recording  his  claims,  which 
he  did  on  August  20, 1890.  Cooi)er,  Edward  Monahan,  and  Gregg  Stew- 
art staked  on  the  19th,  locating  the  claims  now  known  as  'J7,  28,  and  29 
below  Discovery.  William  Stanton,  on  the  21st,  staked  what  is  now 
known  a,s  13  below.  In  the  meantime  the  news  of  the  discovery  had 
spread  to  Indian  Creek,  which  flows  into  the  Yukon  from  the  eastward 
thirty  miles  above  the  Klondike,  and  fifteen  or  twenty  men  who  were 
pros])ecting  tliei'O  left  at  once  for  the  new  diggings,  while  quite  a  num- 
ber of  men  Avho  were  coming  down  the  river  in  small  boats  wore 
informed  of  the  discovery  and  stopped  to  make  locations.  Three  or  four 
days  after  Cormack's  arrival  at  Forty  IVliJe  a  large  number  of  men 
came  up  from  that  place  in  poling  boats,  and  by  September  1  there  were 
WO  or  200  men  on  Bonanza  and  its  tributaries  seeking  claims.  By 
September  13  iJonauza  had  been  staked  to  45  above  and  90  below  Dis- 
covery, and  as  nothing  of  value  could  be  found  above  or  b(!low  those 
numbers  many  men  were  forced  to  i)rospect  on  other  creeks.  On  tlie 
date  named  a  discovery  was  made  at  the  mouth  of  the  gulch  now  known 
as  Eldorado  Creek,  which  comes  into  Bonanza  from  tlic  south  about  a 
mile  above  Discovery,  and  in  three  or  four  days  Eldorado  was  staked 
to  32.  This  creek,  which  was  staked  because  there  was  no  other  ground 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  to  bo  had,  and  which  was  not  supposed  to 
contain  anything  of  special  value,  has  proved  to  be  fir  riclier,  though 
less  extensive,  than  lUnianza,  and  is  probably  the  richest  creek,  mile 
for  mije,  ever  discovered  in  the  world.  In  October  about  twenty  men 
came  up  Irom  Circle  City  on  the  steamer  Arctic,  and  by  April  1,  isi)?, 
some  800  had  come  up  from  that  place,  making  the  population  of  the 
Klondike  district  at  the  last-named  date  about  1  ,r)00.  All  who  came  into 
the  district  during  the  winter  were  compelled  to  bring  their  own  sup- 
plies, as  no  freight  was  lauded  there  by  the  commercial  companies 
until  early  in  the  folh)wing  June.  A  large  i>roportion  of  the  miners 
and  prospectors  lived  in  tents,  only  about  thirty  cabins  being  built  on 
the  gulches  during  the  winter. 

ITp  to  November  3, 189(5,  no  great  strike  had  been  made  on  either  creek, 
but  ou  that  date  rich  ground  was  o])ened  up  on  21  above  Discovery,  on 
Bonanza.  The  (irst  pan  taken  out  immediately  below  the  muck  yielded 
35  cents,  and  the  n(  xt  seven  llres  gave  an  average  of  $3.36  to  the  pan. 
From  this  strike  dates  the  "boom"  on  the  Klondike.     At  that  time 


I 


^ 


318 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


HI 
i!l 


1 

ft 
01 


Eldorado  had  shown  no  large  prospects,  but  a  few  days  later  very  rich 
ground  was  opened  up  on  14  and  15,  as  high  as  $18  being  taken  from  ii 
single  pan.  During  the  same  month  a  big  strike  was  made  on  0,  which 
yielded  as  high  as  $22  to  the  pan. 

On  Hunker  Creek  gold  was  discovered  in  September,  1890.  This 
creek  has  developed  some  good  properties,  and  in  October,  one  month 
later,  claims  there  were  worth  more  than  on  Bonanza  and  Eldorado. 

J>uriiig  the  early  part  of  the  winter  but  little  work  was  done  on  the 
gulclies  beyond  the  sinking  of  prospect  shafts  by  the  claim  owners 
themselves,  as  it  was  impossible  to  induce  men  to  work  for  wages. 
Every  man  who  had  an  outfit  believed  that  ho  could  do  better  by 
taking  his  chances  of  finding  a  good  claim  than  by  working  for  the 
wages  offered  ($15  a  day),  and  a  large  number  of  men  spent  the  fall 
and  the  early  part  of  the  winter  in  prospecting  the  tributaries  of  the 
Klondike  and  Indian  rivers  and.  numerous  gulches,  along  Bonanza  and 
Eldorado  creeks.  By  the  middle  of  January  (18i)7)  many  of  these  pros- 
l)ectors  had  becqme  discouraged  through  failure  to  find  good  claims  and 
took  "lays"  (a)  on  Bonanza  and  Eldorado,  and  later  a  largo  number 
accepted  employment  for  wages,  i)rincipally  on  Eldorado.  Drifting  was 
prosecuted  vigorously  until  the  water  began  to  run  in  the  creeks,  about 
May  7,  when  the  work  of  shoveling  the  dumps  into  the  sluice  boxes 
was  begun.  Most  of  the  dumps  Avere  exhausted  within  thirty  days 
and  many  marvelous  clean-ups  made.  On  some  claims  the  gold  filled 
the  rifiles  so  rapidly  that  it  was  necessary,  in  order  to  save  the  gold, 
to  clean  uj)  as  often  as  twice  a  day.  On  2  Eldorado,  Avith  four  men 
shoveling  in,  $6,500  was  taken  out  in  one  day.  By  the  first  week  iu 
Juno  the  Avinter's  work  Avas  practically  closed,  and  five  months'  active 
mining  operations,  conducted  by  a  force  of  about  COO  men,  had 
produced  an  amount  of  gold  which  is  conservatively  estimated  at 
$2,000,000.  Work  was  continued  through  the  summer  on  most  of  the 
claims,  ground  sluicing  and  shoveling  iu  being  actively  engaged  in 
on  Bonanza  until  the  creek  froze  up  in  the  latter  j)art  of  September, 
and  on  Eldorado  until  the  latter  part  of  August,  A\hcn  the  water  got 
too  low  to  furnish  a  sluice  head.  The  output  for  the  summer  brought 
the  total  product  for  the  season  up  to  about  $3,000,000.  Much  "dead 
work"  was  done,  consisting  of  removing  the  trees,  stumps,  moss,  and 
muck,  and  in  ground  sluicing  and  otherwise  getting  ready  for  active 
operations  the  following  season. 

On  September  30,  1807,  Bonanza  Creek  had  been  staked  above  and 
beloAv  Discovery  for  a  total  distance  of  about  twenty  miles,  while  VAdo- 
rado  Creek  had  been  staked  for  a  distance  of  about  eight  and  a  half 
miles,  both  being  located  for  almost  their  entire  length.    These  are  all 


rt"Lay"iH  the  term  useil  l)y  tlio  miners  to  tlosignato  ground  worked  on  slinres. 
A  lay  usually  consists  of  a  strip  fifty  or  one  hundred  feot  iu  width,  intersecting  tlu) 
general  course  of  the  strenni  at  riglit  angles  and  oxtonding  clear  across  tlm  claini. 
Tho  usual  tvrms  arc  an  ec[ual  division  of  the  output,  the  lessor  2)ayiug  all  expcuses  ul 
operation. 


stngt 

wall 

Avilh 

bott( 

of  it 

servi 


THE    ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


319 


iter  very  ricli 
taken  from  a 
le  ou  0,  whit'li 

■,  1890.    This 
er,  one  month 
L  Eldorado. 
8  done  on  the 
daim  owners 
rk  for  wages, 
do  better  by 
)rking  for  the 
spent  the  fall 
utaries  of  the 
:  Bonanza  and 
of  these  jiros- 
)od  claims  and 
large  number 
Drifting  was 
J  creeks,  about 
C5  sluice  boxes 
in  thirty  days 
the  gold  filled 
save  the  gold, 
with  four  men 
e  first  week  in 
months'  active 
GOO   men,  had 
r  estim.ated  at 
ou  most  of  the 
L'ly  engaged  in 
of  September, 
I  the  water  got 
iimmer  brought 
.     Much  *'dead 
mps,  moss,  and 
eady  for  active 

iked  above  and 
lies,  while  Kldo- 
ight  and  a  hali' 
.    These  are  all 

worke«l  on  ehari's. 
;h,  intersecting  tlio 
ir  aiToss  tlio  I'laini. 
j'iug  all  espouses  ot 


creek  claims,  500  feet  long,  as  a  rule,  measured  in  the  direction  of  the 
general  course  of  the  stream,  and  extending  in  width  from  base  to  base 
of  the  hill  or  bench  on  oHch  side.  In  making  their  original  locations 
prospectors  who  were  not  provided  with  tapelines  stepped  oiT  the  dis- 
tance and  set  their  stakes  at  what  they  considered  the  limits  of  their 
ground.  Wheu  the  Government  survey  was  made  it  was  often  found 
that  more  ground  was  claimed  than  the  locators  were  entitled  to,  and 
thus  "fractions"  were  created.  There  are  quite  a  number  of  these  oa 
the  various  creeks,  and  some  of  them  have  proved  very  rich.  At  tlio 
above  date  there  were  also  fifty  bench  cliiims  on  Bonanza  and  forty  on 
Eldorado.  The  bench  claims  are  100  feet  S(piare  and  can  not  extend 
below  the  ''base  of  the  hill  or  bench."  The  Canadian  mining  regula- 
tions are  not  clear  as  to  the  line  of  demarcatiou  between  creek  and 
bench  claims,  and  as  a  consequence  some  dispute  has  arisen  as  to 
where  the  creek  claims  cease  and  the  bench  claims  begin;  but  these 
disputes  are  generally  amicably  settled  between  the  parties  themselves. 

The  method  of  placer  mining  pursued  in  the  Klondike  district  is 
aoiiiewhat  ditlerent  from  that  which  prevails  in  the  United  States. 
The  ground,  which  is  covered  with  moss  to  a  depth  of  from  twelve  to 
eighteen  inches,  is  frozen  solid  from  Just  below  the  moss  to  bed  rock, 
which  is  generally  stiuck  at  o  depth  of  ten  or  fifteen  feet,  although  in 
many  places  it  is  tweu.  y-five  or  thirty  feet  below  the  surface.  The  heat 
of  the  sun,  even  in  the  hottest  days  of  summer,  wheu  the  thermometer 
registers  100  degrees  in  the»shade,  has  no  effect  on  the  frozen  ground 
until  the  moss  is  removed.  Beneath  the  moss  there  is  a  deposit  of 
deciiyed  vegetation  called  by  the  miners  "muck,"  which  varies  from 
two  to  twenty  feet  in  depth. 

Where  the  ground  is  very  deep  it  is  found  more  economical  to  sink  a 
shaft  to  bed  rock  and  take  out  the  pay  gravel  by  means  of  a  windlass. 
This  is  called  "drifting,"  and  in  many  claims  this  can  be  done  success- 
fully oidy  in  the  winter  tiuje,  after  the  stream  is  frozen  solid,  as  in  the 
Kunimer  time  the  inflow  of  surface  water  and  seepage  from  the  creeks 
make  it  impossible  to  pnrsue  this  method.  After  stripping  off'  the  moss, 
the  miner  starts  a  shaft  about  three  and  a  half  by  six  feet,  picking 
through  the  muck  until  the  gravel  is  reached,  lie  is  then  obliged  to 
resort  to  "burning,"  as  the  best  pick  does  not  hold  its  point  five  min- 
utes when  used  in  the  frozen  gravel.  A  fire  of  cord  wood  is  built  on 
the  bottom  of  the  shaft,  which  thaws  the  gravel  to  a  depth  of  about  two 
feet.  This  thawed  gravel  is  then  shoveled  out  or  hoisted  by  means  of 
a  windlass,  and  the  process  repeated  until  bed  rock  is  reached.  At  this 
stage  the  "driltiug"  proi)er  begins.  Dry  wood  is  piled  against  the 
wall  of  the  shaft  to  nearly  the  height  of  the  pay  gravel  and  covered 
wilh  sticks  of  green  cord  wood  arranged  with  one  end  resting  on  the 
bottom  of  the  shaft  and  the  other  leaning  against  the  wall  at  an  angle 
f  45  degrees.  The  green  wood  so  place<l  is  called  "  lagging,"  and 
erves  the  double  purpose  of  confining  the  fire  and  catching  the  waste 


ir 


320 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


dirt  from  above.  At  bedtime  the  fire  is  started  and  the  miner  retires 
lor  the  night.  During  the  night  the  heat  causes  the  wall  to  cave,  and 
the  gravel  which  slides  down  over  the  lagging  produces  a  smouldering 
tire,  which  burns  till  morning  and  thaws  the  face  of  the  gravel  to  a 
depth  of  two  feet  or  more.  In  the  morning  the  miner  enters  the  shaft, 
thi'ows  back  the  waste  dirt  and  charred  wood,  and  hoists  the  i)ay 
gravel  to  the  surface.  This  process  is  repeated  daily,  the  miner  panning 
after  each  fire  to  see  if  he  is  still  on  the  pay  streak.  As  the  work  pro- 
gresses the  drift  gradually  widens  out  until  a  width  of  about  thirty 
feet  is  attained,  and  is  then  carried  forward  at  a  uniform  width.  On 
account  of  the  gas  produced  by  the  burning  wood,  ventilation  is  neces- 
sary, and  this  is  secured  by  sinking  a  second  shaft  at  a  distance  of 
twenty  or  thirty  feet  fr-om  the  first  and  connecting  them  as  quickly  as 
possible.  On  account  of  the  frozen  condition  of  the  ground,  timbering 
is  unnecessary,  but  tlie  expense  thus  saved  is  more  than  counterbal- 
anced by  the  consumption  of  firewood  in  burning.  On  nmuy  of  the 
claims  on  Bonanza  and  Eldorado  the  wood  has  been  cut  off  to  the  top 
of  Ihe  range  on  either  side,  and  within  a  year  or  two  wood  will  have  to 
be  bi'ought  from  a  distance,  which  will  greatly  increase  its  cost.  In  the 
spring  the  dump  taken  from  the  drifts  is  shoveled  into  sluice  boxes  and 
the  gold  thus  separated  from  the  gravel. 

In  the  shallower  claims  ground  sluicing  is  resorted  to  during  the 
summer  months.  When  the  pay  streak  has  been  located  the  moss  is 
stripped  ott',  a  trench  is  dng  parallel  with  the  creek  along  the  pay  streak, 
and  the  water  from  the  creek  is  turned  into  the  head  of  the  trench  by 
means  of  a  wing  dam.  The  action  of  the  water  in  passing  through  the 
trench  undermines  the  banks  and  washes  the  muck  and  much  of  the 
gravel  into  the  bed  of  the  creek  below,  the  coarse  gold  in  the  gravel 
thus  carried  away  being  left  in  the  bottom  of  the  trench.  After  the 
trench  has  been  washed  out  to  a  sufldcient  width  a  line  of  sluit-e  boxes 
is  Sv'it  through  the  center  of  the  trench,  a  head  of  wat«.T  turned  on,  and 
the  gravel  shoveled  in  irom  either  side.  Tl>c  sluice  boxes  are  given 
enough  fall  to  carry  the  gravel  and  sand  through  the  boxes  into  the 
"tailings"  pit  below,  the  gold  dropping  to  the  bottom  and  lodging  in 
the  rillles,  which  consist  of  longitudinal  strips  arranged  about  an  inch 
apart  and  having  cross,  strips  at  frequent  intervals.  Some  of  the 
grx)und,  especially  on  Eldorado,  is  so  shallow  that  it  is  found  i)roti table, 
after  removing  the  moss,  to  shovel  it  all  into  the  sluice  boxes^  thus 
avoiding  the  expense  and  delay  of  drifting  and  ground  sluicing. 

The  following  details  relative  to  the  output  of  the  claims  on  Bonanza 
and  Eldorado,  the  number  of  men  enn)loyed,  wages,  etc.,  present  a 
fairly  accurate  idea  of  the  value  and  productiveness  of  the  mines: 

BONANZA   OREEK. 

Discovery  and  1  below  were  well  opened  up  last  winter  (1896-97),  and 
a  pay  streak  from  30  to  100  feet  wide  was  located.    The  ground  yields 


i.L 


I. 

miner  retires 
I  to  cave,  and 
\,  smouldering 

gravel  to  a 
jrs  the  shaft, 
)i8t8  the  pay 
liner  panning 
the  work  pro- 

about  tliirty 
n  width.  On 
ition  is  neces- 
a  distance  of 
as  quickly  as 
nd,  timbering 
n  couuterbal- 

mauy  of  the 
off  to  the  top 
[I  will  have  to 
1  cost.  In  the 
ice  boxes  and 

to  during  the 
(1  the  moss  is 
he  pay  streak, 
the  trench  by 
g  through  the 
much  of  the 
in  the  gravel 
^\^.  After  the 
f  sluice  boxes 
urned  on,  and 
xes  are  given 
)oxe8  into  the 
ud  lodging  in 
about  an  inch 
Some  of  the 
md  profitable, 
:e  boxes^  thus 
luicing. 
IS  on  Bonanza 
stc,  present  a 
he  mines: 


(1896-97),  and 
ground  yields 


THE    ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


321 


from  $2,000  to  $2,500  to  the  box  length  (a),  and  $40,000  was  cleaned  up 
in  May  as  the  result  of  the  season's  work,  eight  men  being  employed. 

All  the  claims  from  2  to  10  below  run  about  the  same  as  Discovery 
and  1  below,  there  being  very  rich  spots  on  3,  as  high  as  $3,000  to  the 
box  length  having  been  taken  out  last  spring.  About  ten  men  were 
employed  for  wages  on  these  claims. 

From  10  to  20  below,  the  ground  is  very  rich,  producing  in  places 
$4,000  to  the  box  length,  and  the  i>ay  streak  is  000  feet  wide  on  several 
of  the  claims,  having  been  located  for  a  width  of  700  feet  on  10,  with 
fair  pay  all  the  way  across. 

From  20  to  30  below,  the  pay  streak  is  very  wide,  and  the  ground 
runs  $2,500  to  the  box  length. 

In  the  30's  very  little  has  been  done,  the  output  not  amounting  to 
over  $10,000,  probably.  As  high  as  $2,000  to  the  box  length  has  been 
taken  out,  and  the  claims  promise  large  returns. 

The  40's  run  about  the  same  as  the  30's,  but  very  little  work  has  been 
done. 

From  50  to  59  the  ground  yields  from  $1,500  to  $2,000  to  the  box 
length.  In  places  the  pay  streak  is  GOO  feet  wide,  and  the  yield  is  likely 
to  be  lar^e.  No.  51  produced  $50,000  or  $60,000  during  tVe  summer, 
ground  sluicing,  employing  twelve  men. 

In  the  60's  good  pay  was  taken  out  last  winter.  No.  CO  was  bought 
for  $10,000,  and  afcerwards  a  half  interest  was  sold  for  !?  10,000.  the 
seller  reserving  the  dump  and  washing  out  $4,500  therefrom.  The 
ground  ran  about  ."5'2,000  to  the  box  length. 

The  claims  above  Discovery  rn'.i  about  the  same  as  those  below. 
From  1  lo  18  above  the  ground  runs  about  $2,000  to  the  box  length. 
No.  5  produced  $49,000  during  the  season,  two  box  lengths  yielding 
$10,000.  A  half  interest  in  this  claim  was  sold  last  October  for  $.{5,000 
cash.  Some  sixty-five  men  were  employed  ou  5  at  one  time  during  the 
summer. 

No.  21  above  is  one  of  the  best  claims  ou  Bonanza,  running  as  high 
as  $4,000  to  the  box  length.  The  first  rich  strike  on  Bonanza  was 
made  on  this  claim. 

From  21  to  26  above  very  little  hao  been  done. 

On  20  some  big  clean-ups  were  made,  over  $100,000  having  been 
taken  out  last  summer  by  ground  sluicing.  A  half  interest  in  this 
ciaim  was  bought  last  winter  for  $40,000,  inchuling  a  half  interest  in  18 
above  and  a  quarter  interest  in  34  Eldorado. 

No.  27  sold  for  $55,000  last  spring,  the  purchaser  taking  out  enough 
in  two  mouths  to  pay  for  the  claim.    The  entire  output  for  the  season 


aTho  sluice  boxes  in  use  iu  tbo  Klondike  district  lire  constructed  of  inch  lumber, 
nnd  nre  twelve  feet  long  and  twelve  inches  deep,  being  twelve  inches  wide  at  one 
end  and  ten  inches  wid«*  at  the  othtsr,  so  as  to  lit  into  one  another.  Iu  running  a 
string  of  sluices  the  gravel  is  shoveled  in  from  either  side  to  a  width  of  six  or  seven 
feet,  making  a  cut  aliout  fourteen  feet  wi<le.  A  box  length,  therefore,  is  a  supcr- 
licial  area  twelve  by  fourteen  feet,  or  168  square  feet. 


i  I 


.;' 


it- 


&22 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


was  $75,000.     No.  28  belongs  to  the  saino  parties  as  27  and  is  equally 
rich. 

No.  29  has  turned  out  from  $3,0(M)  to  $4,000  to  tlio  box  length. 

No.  36  has  been  very  productive,  and  37  produced  last  winter  between 
$45,000  and  $50,000. 

No.  38  has  turned  out  very  well,  as  high  as  $3,0(K)  to  the  box  length, 
and  yielded  about  $20,000  as  the  result  of  the  season's  work. 

From  39  to  44  the  ground  is  goml,  41  having  produced  $20,000  the 
past  season.  Very  little  has  been  accomplished  above  44.  In  the  50's 
there  has  been  considerable  prospcciting,  but  nothing  has  been  found 
to  justify  working  at  the  present  rate  of  wages  and  cost  of  supplies. 

The  bench  claims  on  Bonanza  from  the  month  of  Eldorado,  which 
comes  in  about  a  mile  above  Discovery,  to  00  below  have  shown  np 
well,  isomo  of  them  being  very  rich.  From  a  benidi  claim  at  the  month 
of  Skookum  Gulch,  which  enters  Bonanza  about  half  a  njilo  below 
Eldorado  and  nearly  parallel  with  the  latter  stream,  one  man  washed 
out  $500  a  day  with  a  rocker  for  a  short  time  during  ilie  past  summer. 
Along  the  upper  end  of  G  below  three  or  four  of  the  bench  claims  are 
very  rich,  one  man  having  rocked  out  $10,000  last  summer.  lie  was 
offered  $10,000  for  bis  claim  when  he  ceased  work,  but  refused  the 
offer.  Between  Eldorado  Creek  and  Skookum  Ouhdi  there  is  a  divide 
two  or  three  hundred  feet  high,  and  pay  has  been  found  all  the  way  to 
the  top  on  both  slopes.  On  the  summit  washed  gravel  is  found,  pro- 
ducing $1  to  the  i>an  in  coarse  gold.  The  deposit  has  all  the  char- 
acteristics of  an  ancient  river  bed,  and  has  been  traced  along  th« 
ridge  for  several  miles.  It  is  supposed  to  extend  around  the  head  of 
Eldorado  and  over  to  the  head  of  Dominion  Creek,  where  very  rich 
ground  was  discovered  during  the  past  fall.  There  are  many  evidences 
that  the  wash  which  produced  the  present  rich  deposits  of  gold  in  the 
Klondike  district  came  from  this  ancient  river  bed. 

All  sales  so  far  reported  on  Bonanza  have  been  made  between 
miners,  the  money  for  the  payments  being  borrowed  by  them  from  one 
another.  The  largest  price  that  has  been  paid  for  a  single  claim  on 
Bonanza  is  $55,000.  No.  7  above  was  originally  purchased  for  $7,000, 
and  a  quarter  interest  was  afterwards  sold  for  the  same  amount,  or  at 
the  rate  of  $28,000  for  tlio  claim.  A  half  interest  in  G  above  was  sold 
for  $10,000  early  last  spring.  Many  other  sales  are  reported,  but  these 
are  typical. 

BLDORADO   OEEEK. 

The  fraction  at  the  mouth  of  Eldorado  is  very  rtch,  the  dump  taken 
out  during  the  winter  having  produced  $25,000.  Five  men  were 
employed  in  making  this  output. 

No.  1  produced  $19,000  as  the  result  of  the  winter's  drifting.  The 
work  was  begrn  in  February,  four  men  being  emi)loyed.  The  claim 
produced  $30,000  during  the  summer,  employing  fourteen  men. 


THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


323 


n\  is  equally 

eiigth. 

liter  between 

B  box  length, 
irk. 

$20,000  the 
,  In  the  50'8 
i  been  fouml 
if  supplies, 
orado,  which 
7Q  shown  up 
at  the  mouth 
\  mile  below 
man  washed 
[)ast  summer, 
eh  claims  arc 
aer.  ITc  was 
1  refused  the 
re  is  a  divide 
ill  the  way  to 
s  found,  pro- 
all  the  char- 
id  along  th« 
I  the  head  of 
lere  very  rich 
my  evidences 
)f  gold  in  the 

ade  between 
liem  from  one 
nglc  claim  on 
ed  for  $7,000, 
imount,  or  at 
jove  was  sold 
;ed,  but  these 


3  dump  taken 
'e  men   were 

[rifting.    The 
1.    The  claim 
men. 


Fourteen  men,  drifting  from  February  to  May  on  2  Eldorado,  took 
out  a  dump  which  yielded  $100,000.  Four  men  working  on  a  lay  on 
the  same  claim  took  out  $49,000,  being  employed  from  .huinary  L'7  to 
May  1,  and  two  other  men  working  on  a  lay  prodiiciMl  $32,000,  being 
employed  about  the  same  length  of  time. 

Nothing  has  yet  been  found  on  3,  although  it  is  supposed  to  bo  rich. 

From  the  fraction  of  140  feet  between  .'5  and  4  about  $4,000  was  taken 
out,  two  men  being  employed  on  a  lay.  The  claim  sold  for  $14,000 
last  February. 

No  prospecting  has  been  dctno  on  4,  but  it  is  probably  as  rich  as  the 
claims  immediately  above  and  below. 

The  upper  part  of  5  and  the  lower  i)art  of  G  ])roduced  about  $130,000, 
the  result  of  drifting  last  Avinter,  sixteen  or  eighteen  men  being 
employed,  beginning  work  late  in  February.  During  the  summer 
$50,000  was  taken  out,  twelve  men  being  employed.  The  pay  streak 
is  fully  300  feet  wide  here,  extending  clear  across  the  gulch. 

On  7  five  men  were  employed  for  a  short  time,  and  they  took  out 
$31,000  in  four  box  lengths. 

The  pay  streak  is  300  feet  wide  on  8,  and  with  fifteen  men  working 
produced  $100,000. 

No.  9  is  very  rich,  and  produced  between  $70,000  and  $100,000  from 
two  holes,  employing  nine  men.  Some  very  large  pans  were  taken  out 
of  this  ground,  as  high  as  $212  being  reported.  From  three  buckets  of 
gravel  (fifteen  pans)  $1,500  was  secured. 

No.  10,  a  half  interest  in  which  was  sold  last  winter  for  $15,000, 
yielded  $20,000  as  the  result  of  drifting  last  winter,  and  $30,000  was 
taken  out  during  the  summer,  three  men  being  employed. 

A  clean-up  of  $2G,000  was  made  on  11,  and  from  two  cuts  $00,000  was 
taken  out  by  five  men.    The  pay  streak  is  wide  here. 

No.  12  produced  about  $35,000.  This  ground  is  "ery  rich.  A  great 
deal  of  dead  work  was  done  on  it  during  the  summer  in  preparation 
for  this  season's  work. 

No.  13  has  been  very  productive,  probably  $100,000  having  been  taken 
out,  with  six  men  emi>loyed. 

Nos.  14  and  15  produced  about  $120,000,  drifting,  with  two  or  three 
men  employed. 

Six  men,  drifting,  took  out  $80,000  on  IC. 

No.  17  has  shown  good  results,  having  i)roduced  nearly  $100,000. 
Work  was  begun  in  February,  nine  men  being  employed. 

From  18  to  23  not  nmch  has  been  accomplished,  although  all  the 
claims  show  good  prospects. 

No.  23  was  bought  for  $25,000  last  winter,  and  the  purchaser,  working 
six  men,  took  out  enough  in  two  months  to  pay  for  the  claim. 

No.  25  has  produced  about  $30,000,  employing  five  men  drifting  from 
February  1  to  April  10.  Eight  box  lengths  yielded  an  average  of 
$2,000  to  the  box  length. 


f 
I 


If 


324 


BULLETIN    OP   THE   DEPARTMENT   OF   LABOR. 


Very  little  work  has  been  done  on  20,  altlion;,'h  the  iiroapects  are 
good. 

Prom  two  small  dumps  on  27  about  $30,000  was  taken  out,  wiih  three 
niu!  employed. 

Tlie  fViiction  of  ttfty-Hve  feet  between  27  and  28  yielded  from  a  small 
dunii*  betwoeti  .f  (>,()00  and  |8,()()0,  witli  three  men  employed. 

Nothing  has  been  aecomplislied  on  28,  although  it  piHj.spects  well. 

LuMt  summer  |;W,(M)0  was  takei  out  of  thirty-eight  lineal  feet  on  29, 
»ix  men  being  employed.  Tlie  owner  was  otlered  .f  120,000  for  120  feet 
on  the  upper  end,  but  he  refused  the  otter. 

No.  30  is  the  great  claim  of  Kldorado.  It  has  produced  as  liigh  as 
.*20,000  to  tlie  box  length.  About  $1.50,000  was  taken  out  of  two  cuts- 
twelve  box  lengths  in  all,  or  about  170  to  the  s(|uare  foot.  The  pay 
streak  is  forty  feet  wide.  At  ona  t'mo  during  tlie  spring  the  owner 
could  {*!)  into  the  workings  and  take  out  a  i)an  of  dirt  from  bed  rock  and 
get  from  $800  to  81,000  to  the  pan.  Six  men  were  emph)yed  on  30 
during  the  winter,  drifting,  and  about  thirty  men  were  employed  during 
the  summer. 

There  is  a  small  fraction  between  30  and  31,  which  has  yieldjul  about 
$;W,0(»0.    The  best  pay  is  found  nnder  the  banks  along  here. 

The  original  locator  of  31  sold  it  for  $80,  and  it  was  afterwards  sold 
lor  $')1,0(H),  one  of  the  lirst  big  sales  made  in  the  district.  Kight  men 
were  emjdoyed  on  the  claim  from  April  until  Just  a  little  while  before 
the  close  of  the  season,  when  the  water  became  so  low  that  they  had  to 
cease  work.  They  uncovered  some  very  rich  ground,  and  it  is  thought 
that  31  will  prove  to  be  (uie  of  the  best  claims  on  the  creek. 

On  32  big  prospects  have  been  found,  but  not  much  work  has  been 
done. 

Tp  to  September  20, 1897,  nothing  had  been  found  on  33,  but  on  that 
date  a  strike  was  ma<le  which  yielded  !j<10  to  the  pan,  and  the  t-laim 
promises  to  be  very  productive. 

No.  34  shows  good  pro8i)ects,  but  no  rich  ground  has  been  struck. 
About  niiie  men  were  employed  on  the  claim  during  the  summer. 

Nothing  has  been  done  on  3."). 

Six  men  were  employed  on  3(5  during  the  winter,  drifting,  and  from 
.'?4,<!00  to  $.j,(>00  to  the  1m)x  length  was  taken  out.  Some  work  was 
(lone  during  the  summer,  and  the  claim  has  yielded  between  $40,000 
jiud  $.">O,00().  The  largest  nugget  as  yet  found  on  the  Yukon  was 
taken  from  30.     It  weighed  about  34^  ounces  and  was  valued  at  $583. 

No.  37  shows  up  about  the  same  as  36.  and  will  probably  prove  as 
l)roductive. 

The  claims  on  Eldorado  above  37  have  n<<6  "hown  any  very  jjromising 
prospects  at  the  present  writing. 

The  bench  claims  on  Eldorado  were  not  worked  to  any  extent  last 
winter,  and  it  was  difficult  to  ])rospect  them  dviring  the  summer  on 
account  of  the  inflow  of  surface  water.    But  taey  will  be  thoroughly 


Hil 


>R. 
l)ro8pccts  aro 

mt,  Willi  tlueo 

il  IVom  a  Hinall 

<l)et!ts  well, 
leiil  feet  oil  21), 
100  for  IL'O  feet 

ced  as  liigh  as 
t  of  two  cuts — 
'oot.  Tlic  pay 
iiff  the  owner 
II  bod  rock  and 
uployiMl  on  ;J0 
I  ployed  during 

I  yielded  about 
ere. 

iterwards  sold 
it.  Kiylit  men 
e  while  before 

at  they  had  to 
d  it  is  thought 

ek. 
work  has  been 

53,  but  on  that 
and  the  l-laiiii 

3  been  struck, 
summer. 

ting,  and  from 
oiiie  work  was 
tween  $40,000 
16  Yukon  was 
valued  at  $o<s;5. 
3ably  prove  as 

s^ery  i)rouii8ing 

ny  extent  last 
le  summer  on 
be  thoroughly 


THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


325 


prf  ipected  this  winter,  and  it  is  probable  that  they  will  prove  very 
ricli,  as  gohl  has  been  found  in  paying  quantities  wherever  a  shaft  has 
been  sunk  to  bed  ro<;k. 

October  1,  1897,  eighteen  creeks  had  been  located  in  the  Yukon 
district  of  Canada.  The  following  table  shows  the  names  of  the  creeks, 
the  number  of  claims  above  and  below  Discovery,  the  number  of  bench 
claims,  and  the  mining  districts  in  which  the  creeks  are  located: 

NAMBS    OP   CRBBK9.  WITH    NUMBER   OF   RECOEDKD    CLAIMS,   IN    THE   YUKOK 
UISTIMCT  OP  CANADA,  OUTOBEH  1,  1807. 


Name  of  oreek. 

Above 
Diiooyery. 

Below 
DiHOovery. 

7 

68 
26 

Benob. 

MibiDg  aittrlol. 

Laiit  Chnnce 

41 
115 
24 
BO 
60 
20 
41 
10 
13 
12 
73 
BO 
80 

as 

88 
85 
87 
43 

40 

1 

Don  All  ZA.... 

Do 

Boar 

Do 

Do. 
Do. 
Do 

Hiinkfir  ...a...................... 

87 

Victoria 

French 

Do 

IflftAc,  or  ( 'htftf 

Do, 

80 

Do. 

All  Gold 

52 

68 
76 
35 
8 
5 
11 
28 
34 

Do 

Sulphur 

Indian  Creek 

Doiiiiiiion ••... 

Do. 

Do. 

Moutann...... ■....'........ 

Montana  CrAek 

MooHo  Hide 

Miioho  Hiile 

Bryant  Creek. 

In  explanation  of  this  table  it  should  be  stated  that  the  Canadian 
mining  regulations  ditfer  somewhat  from  the  mining  laws  of  the  United 
States  in  the  definition  of  a  "mining  district"  (or  'locality").  Under 
our  laws  and  local  regulations  a  separate  mining  district  may  be  estab- 
lished on  every  creek  where  a  discovery  is  made ;  whereas  under  the 
Canadian  mining  regulations,  "locality"  shall  mean  the  territory  along 
a  river  (tributary  of  the  Yukon)  and  its  afHuents,  To  illustrate:  The 
Birch  Creek  district,  in  Alaska,  consists  of  eighteen  or  twenty  separate 
mining  districts,  each  having  its  recorder  and  records,  while  the  Klon- 
dike mining  district  (or  locality)  embraces  the  Klondike  River  and  all 
of  its  tributaries,  and  is  subject  to  the  authority  of  a  single  ofticial,  the 
gold  commissioner,  who  has  jurisdiction  over  the  Yukon  district  of 
Canada. 

Some  complaint  is  heard  of  the  Canadian  mining  regulations  (a)  in 
force  in  the  Yukon  district,  but  it  must  be  said  in  their  behalf  that  in 
one  respect  they  are  considered  more  favorable  than  our  own  laws  to 
the  poor  mau  seeking  a  claim  for  the  purpose  of  working  it.  Under 
the  Canadian  law  a  prospector  can  locate  but  one  claim  in  a  district  (or 
locality),  and  as  he  is  required  when  he  records  to  certify  under  oath  that 
he  has  found  gold  in  paying  quantities,  tlie  effect  is  to  prevent  the 

a  A  pamphlet  giving  tlio  regulations  governing  placer  mining  in  the  Yukon  die- 
trii:t  of  Canada  niaj'  be  had  lieo  upon  application  to  .1.  A.  Smart,  E8(x.,  Deputy 
Minister  of  the  Interior,  Ottawa,  Ontario,  Canada. 
4584— No.  16 3 


..!? 


Mi 


J 


i: 


326 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


location  of  creeks  before  they  are  properly  prospected.  This  is  cer- 
tainly a  ijrovision  that  gives  all  a  fair  chance.  Under  the  United  States 
law  (a)  a  prospector  can  locate  any  number  of  claims  in  a  district,  if  he 
so  desires,  provided  he  is  not  prohibited  from  doing  so  by  local  mining 
regulations.  It  may  be  added,  however,  in  this  connection  that  in 
order  to  hold  the  possessory  right  to  a  location  not  less  than  one  hun- 
dred dollars'  worth  of  labor  must  be  performed  or  improvements  made 
thereon  annually  until  entry  shall  have  been  made. 

No  remarkable  discoveries  have  been  made  in  the  Yukon  district 
aside  from  those  on  Bonanza  and  Eldorado,  detailed  above. 

Skookum  Gulch,  which  enters  Bonanza  from  the  south  half  a  mile 
below  Eldorado,  is  staked  to  13  above  its  mouth,  where  the  original 
discovery  was  made,  and  contains  thirty  bench  claims,  some  of  which 
arc  very  rich.  The  creek  claim  at  the  mouth  of  Skookum  Gulch  was 
staked  last  March  and  was  sold  shortly  afterwards  for  $35,000.  The 
purchasers  cleaned  up  $37,000  during  the  summer  and  then  sold  a 
half  interest  for  $35,000.  Nothing  noteworthy  has  been  accomi)lished 
farther  up  on  Skookum,  but  the  ground  prospects  well  and  will 
undoubtedly  prove  rich,  as  it  drains  the  western  slope  of  the  divide, 
containing  the  ancient  river  bed  previously  referred  to. 

French  Gulch,  a  tributary  of  Eldorado,  has  not  been  developed  to 
any  extent,  although  $5  to  the  pan  has  been  secured  from  a  fractional 
claim  at  its  mouth. 

Bear  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Klondike,  contains  fifty  creek  claims, 
some  of  which  prospect  well.  One  claim  which  was  worked  last  winter 
yielded  from  $1,500  to  $2,000  to  the  box  length. 

Hunker  Creek,  which  flows  into  the  Klondike  from  the  south  a  few 
miles  above  the  mouth  of  Bonanza,  has  137  creek  claims  and  one  bench 
claim,  and  is  reported  to  contain  much  good  property. 

No  promising  prospects  have  been  found  on  any  of  the  other  tribu- 
taries of  the  Klondike.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  all  the  gold- 
bearing  creek5»  thus  far  discovered  on  the  Klondike  come  into  that 
stream  from  tue  south,  and  the  same  statement  is  true  of  Bonanza  and 
Eidorado. 

Several  creeks  have  been  located  outside  of  the  Klondike  district,  as 
indicated  in  the  foregoing  table,  )ut  no  noteworthy  developments  have 
been  made.  Dominion  Creek,  a  tributary  of  Indian  Elver,  has  shown 
some  very  fine  prospects,  and  as  it  heads  just  across  the  divide  from 
the  head  waters  of  Eldorado,  it  is  thought  that  it  may  prove  productive. 

Late  reports  from  Henderson  Creek,  which  enters  the  Yukon  from 
the  east  just  below  Stewart  River,  indicate  that  good  ground  has 
been  found  there,  35  cents  to  the  pan  having  been  obtained  on  the 
benches.    It  was  impossible  during  the  summer  to  reach  bed  rock  near 

a  A  pamphlet  giving  the  United  tStotos  mining  laws,  and  regnlntions  thcronndor, 
may  be  had  free  upon  application  to  the  Commissioner  of  th6  Uiiueral  Laud  Ofiiue, 
Washington,  D.  C. 


R. 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


327 


This  is  cer- 
TJnited  States 
district,  if  he 

Y  local  mining 
Bction  that  iu 
than  one  hun- 
vements  made 

fukon  district 
ve. 

bh  half  a  mile 
e  the  original 
some  of  which 
Lim  Gulch  was 
$35,000.  The 
d  then  sold  a 
accorai)lished 
well  and  will 
of  the  divide, 

I  developed  to 
)m  a  fractional 

Y  creek  claims, 
ced  last  winter 

[le  sonth  a  few 
and  one  bench 

ihe  other  tribu- 
t  all  the  gold- 
jome  into  that 
f  Bonanza  and 

like  district,  as 
ilopments  have 
VQT,  has  shown 
he  divide  from 
ove  productive. 
lie  Yukon  from 
id  ground  has 
btained  on  the 
1  bed  rock  near 

ktions  tlioronndw, 
iieral  Laud  Offiue, 


the  creek  on  account  of  the  water,  but  it  is  probable  that  good  pay- 
will  be  found  there  during  the  winter. 

In  the  short  time  available  it  was  impossible  to  interview  all  the 
claim  owners  on  Bonanza  and  Eldorado.  The  amounts  given  above  as 
the  output  of  the  various  claims  designated  aggregate  nearly  $2,000,000, 
and  as  most  of  the  claims  for  which  the  output  is  not  given  (some  125 
in  number)  jiroduced  from  $1,000  to  $10,000  each,  it  is  safe  to  say,  as 
before  stated,  that  the  mines  of  the  Klondike  district  yielded  during 
the  season  of  189G-97  nearly  $3,000,000— a  most  extraordinary  figure, 
when  it  is  considered  that  the  period  of  active  operations  ou  most  of  the 
claims  was  less  than  eight  months  and  that  probably  less  than  GOO  men 
were  engaged  in  productive  mining  operations.  The  claims  on  Bonanza 
were  worked  almost  entirely  by  the  claim  owners  themselves  and  by 
miners  who  took  lays  on  the  claims,  and  it  is  probable  that  not  over 
100  men  were  working  for  wages  ou  the  creek  at  any  one  time.  The 
claims  on  Eldorado  were  worked  principally  by  the  claim  owners  per- 
sonally and  by  miners  employed  by  the  day,  the  owners  being  averse, 
on  account  of  the  extraordinary  richness  of  the  ground,  to  letting  it  out 
on  lays.  The  best  obtainable  data  place  the  number  of  men  working 
for  wages  on  Eldorado  at  any  one  time  at  300,  and  it  is  probable  that 
one-half  of  this  number  would  represent  the  average  for  the  eight- 
month  period  of  active  operations.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  out])nt 
would  have  been  doubled  if  it  had  been  possible  to  secure  miners,  but, 
as  intimated  elsewhere,  a  man  who  was  supplied  with  provisions  could 
not  be  induced  to  work  for  wages,  and  those  who  did  accept  employ- 
ment worked  only  long  enough  to  earn  a  "grub  stake,"  when  they 
ceased  work  and  went  into  the  hills  to  prospect. 

While  the  output  appears  large,  it  should  bo  borne  in  mind  that  the 
expenses  of  operation  are  enormous.  Sluice-box  lumber  costs  $150  a 
thousand  feet  in  Dawson,  and  the  rate  for  packing  to  36  Eldorado,  a 
distance  of  sixteen  miles,  is  $80  a  thousand,  and  proportionately  more 
for  greater  distances.  In  the  summer  it  costs  35  cents  a  pound  to  pack 
provisions  from  Dawson  to  30  Eldorado,  the  winter  rate  being  8  cents 
a  pound. 

The  summer  trail  from  Dawson  to  the  mines  is  a  mere  footpath,  which 
winds  its  way  over  a  steep  mountain  for  a  distance  of  two  and  a  half 
miles,  where  it  strikes  the  Klondike,  which  is  crossed  by  means  of  a 
ferry  and  then  traverses  the  valley  of  Bonanza  Creek  for  two  or  three 
miles  farther.  It  then  alternat«ly  ascends  and  descends  benches  from 
one  to  three  hundred  feci  high  and  meanders  through  the  valley. 
Where  the  trail  keeps  to  the  bottom  lands  one  sinks  to  the  knee  in  the 
muck  at  nearly  every  st<ip,  while  it  is  necessary  constantly  to  be  on  the 
alert  to  avoid  a  bad  stumble  over  the  roots,  whicli  protrude  from  the 
ground  and  cross  the  pathway  in  every  direction.  Rubber  boots  are 
indisijonsable  but  their  weigh  u  adds  to  the  discomfort  of  the  journey. 
When  the  trail  leaves  the  bogs  and  ascends  the  hillside,  some  relief  is 


11 


iA 


is;  I  ' 


MKlWIMJIlLLJJa^lWPJ^WBwJWgBW 


ill 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LABOR. 

experienced  so  far  as  the  muck  is  concerned,  but  the  roots  are  still 
there,  supplemented  by  smooth  bowlders,  on  which  one  is  apt  to  slip 
and  fall,  while  the  exertion  required  to  climb  the  steep  incline  tries  the 
stamina  of  the  strongest  man.  The  unhappy  traveler's  misery  is 
accentuated  to  the  verge  of  distraction  by  myriads  of  mosquitoes, 
probably  the  most  energetic  and  vindictive  of  their  kind  thus  far  dis- 
covered on  this  continent.  After  a  journey  over  the  Bonanza  trail  the 
mind  reverts  to  the  struggle  over  Chilkoot  Pass  as  a  mere  pleasure 
jaunt  and  to  the  soul-harrowing  experiences  on  the  Skagway  trail  as  a 
summer  outing.  In  passing  down  the  trail  men  are  met  at  frequent 
intervals  carrying  from  100  to  150  pounds  on  their  backs  and  one  falls 
to  wondering  why,  instead  of  packing  for  35  cents  a  pound,  they  do  not 
strike  for  $1.  Horses  and  dogs  are  also  used  for  packing,  a  good  horse 
carrying  200  pounds  and  a  dog  ixom  35  to  50  pounds.  In  the  winter, 
after  the  creeks  and  the  Klondike  freeze  over,  provisions  are  freighted 
to  the  mines  by  means  of  sleds,  drawn  by  horses,  dogs,  or  men,  and  the 
rate  is  about  one-fourth  that  for  summer  packing.  These  rates,  added 
to  the  excessive  prices  paid  for  supplies  in  Dawson,  make  the  cost  of 
living  and  the  expense  of  operating  the  mines  enormous. 

If  a  visitor  to  the  gulches  prefers  to  ride,  he  can  secure  a  saddle-horse 
in  Dawson  for  $60  a  day. 

During  the  past  summer  thirty  or  forty  well-constructed  log  buildings 
were  erected  on  the  north  side  of  Bonanza,  opposite  the  mouth  of 
Eldorado,  the  place  being  known  as  The  Forks.  The  location  is  on 
bench  la  id,  with  good  drainage  and  a  charming  outlook.  If  provisions 
ccuiii  have  been  obtained,  there  is  no  doubt  it  would  have  become  a 
prosperous  and  growing  town  during  the  present  season.  The  Forks 
must,  in  the  nature  of  things,  become  an  important  point  for  the  distribu- 
tion of  supplies,  as  it  is  in  the  heart  of  the  gold-bearing  zone  of  the 
Klondike  district. 

The  question  as  to  whether  or  not  the  mines  of  the  Klondike  district 
offer  a  safe  and  profitable  field  for  the  investment  of  capital  is  one  to 
which  many  capitalists  will  have  a  satisfactory  answer,  through  Lhe 
niedium  of  their  experts  on  the  ground,  long  before  this  report  reaches 
the  public,  and  therefore  the  facts  here  given  will  probably  be  of  no 
value  to  them  ;  but  to  men  of  small  means  seeking  business  opportuni- 
ties, and  to  workingmen  allured  by  the  promise  of  large  wages,  it  is 
hopetl  that  the  inforuiation  contained  in  this  and  the  succeeding  sec- 
tion may  furnish  a  basis  for  correct  conclusions  ms  to  whether  it  is  wise 
for  them  to  venture  into  this  country  under  present  conditions. 

With  siiecial  reference  to  employment  for  wages  in  the  mines,  it  should 
be  stated,  first  of  all,  that  the  term  "$15  a  day"  is  misleading  if  unac- 
companied by  the  explanation  that  payment  for  labor  in  the  gulches  is 
based  on  the  unit  of  $1.50  per  hour,  and  that  at  best  employment  is 
uncertain  In  the  extreme,  both  on  account  of  the  climatic  conditions 
and  the  difficulty  of  procuring  supplies.  During  the  summer  months 
lull  time  can  generally  be  made,  but  the  working  season  seldom  exceeds 


wmmim 


)ot8  are  still 
8  apt  to  slip 
line  tries  the 
•'s  misery  is 
mosquitoes, 
thus  far  dis- 
luza  trail  the 
lere  pleasure 
iray  trail  as  a 
t  at  frequent 
and  one  falls 
I,  they  do  not 
a  good  horse 
n  the  winter, 
are  freighted 
men,  and  the 
rates,  added 
e  the  cost  of 

saddle-horse 

log  buildings 

he  month  of 

)uation  is  on 

If  provisions 

ive  become  a 

The  Forks 

the  distribu- 

zone  of  the 

Klike  district 
ital  is  one  to 
through  the 
eport  reaches 
bly  be  of  no 
88  opportuni- 
e  wages,  it  is 
cceeding  sec- 
lier  it  is  wise 
tions. 

ines,  it  should 
ding  if  uiiac- 
lie  gulches  is 
tnploymcnt  is 
ic  conditions 
timer  uioiitlis 
Idom  exceeds 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD    FIELDS. 


329 


seventy  days.  There  is  then  a  closed  season  of  two  or  three  months 
before  drifting  begins,  the  usual  time  for  commencing  winter  work  being 
about  December  1.  From  that  date  to  February  1  there  is  an  average 
of  but  six  hours  of  daylight,  while  the  temperature  frequently  drops 
to  GO  or  70  degrees  below  zero,  rendering  it  difficult,  if  not  impossible, 
to  get  in  full  time,  the  average  time  made  during  those  months  not 
exceeding  six  hours  a  day.  Diligent  inquiry  among  scores  of  miners 
who  worked  for  wages  during  the  past  season  failed  to  discover  one  who 
had  made  full  time  for  150  days,  the  average  probably  falling  below 
ratlier  than  above  100  days.  The  cost  of  a  year's  outfit  at  the  prices 
charged  in  the  stores  would  be  about  $600,  but  if  the  stores  are  unable 
to  supply  a  full  outfit,  as  was  the  case  last  summer  and  has  been  the 
case  nearly  every  year  since  the  first  settlement  of  the  country,  the 
miner  is  obliged  to  purchase  from  speculators  and  small  traders  suffl-^ 
cient  8ui)plies  to  make  up  the  deficiency,  at  prices  which  bring  the  cost 
of  his  year's  outfit  to  a  figure  more  nearly  represented  by  $1,000  tluin 
the  first  sum  named.  This  enormous  cost  of  living  leaves  the  miner 
with  little  or  no  means  after  the  purchase  of  his  outfit  to  devote  to  other 
purposes.  To  support  a  family  under  such  conditions  is  out  of  the 
question,  and  the  only  opportunity  a  miner  has  to  better  his  condition 
is  to  work  just  long  enough  to  pay  for  a  "grub  stake"  and  then  go  into 
the  hill8  and  prospect.  If  he  makes  a  successful  strike,  he  is  prepared 
to  pay  the  exorbitant  prices  charged  for  supplies,  and  can  work  his 
mine ;  if  he  fails,  he  may  again  go  to  work  for  wages  or  go  out  of  the 
country  and  bring  in  an  outfit  over  the  trail,  an  alternative  frequently 
chosen. 

Even  under  the  hard  conditions  prevailing  during  the  past  fall  con- 
certed action  was  taken  to  reduce  wages  from  $1.60  to  $1  per  hour. 
On  September  23  certain  mine  owners  met  in  Dawson  and  adopted  a 
resolution  reducing  wages  to  $1  per  hour  from  October  1.  The  wage- 
workers  met  at  The  Forks  on  September  26  and  adopted  a  counter 
resolution,  declaring  that  wages  would  be  kept  at  $1.50  per  hour.  If 
it  had  not  been  for  the  food  panic,  which  is  fully  described  under  the 
head  of  Dawson,  it  is  probable  that  the  (luestion  would  have  come  to 
an  issue  October  1,  and  with  a  large  number  of  unemployed  men  in  tiic 
country  there  is  no  doubt  as  to  what  the  result  would  have  been;  but 
on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  provisions,  supplemented  by  the  fact  that 
the  only  workingmen  in  the  country  even  partially  supplied  were  tliose 
already  employed,  the  mine  owners  were  forced,  for  the  time  being,  to 
re(  ede  from  their  position.  Many  of  the  owners  claim  that  it  is  impos- 
sible to  operate  their  mines  at  a  profit  with  wages  at  the  present  figure, 
and  they  are  either  working  them  in  a  very  small  way  this  winter  or 
letting  them  lie  idle,  waiting  for  the  reduction  of  wages  which  must 
inevitably  come  with  an  increase  in  the  food  supply. 

It  has  been  very  diflicult  to  secure  any  trustworthy  estimates  as  to 
the  probable  output  of  the  mines  during  the  present  season  (l8i)7-08). 
Many  enthusiastic  mineowueis  predict  that  it  will  reach  $16,000,000, 


I 

1j 


if 


\\ 


M 


330 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


ill 


but  the  more  conservative  place  it  at  from  $8,000,000  to  $10,000,000. 
Tlie  latest  information  received  (December  15,  1897)  indicates  that 
there  are  abont  1,500  men  engaged  iu  mining  on  Bonanza  and  Eldorado, 
and  as  many  more  on  other  creeks  in  the  Klondike  district,  a  num- 
ber that  would  iirobably  have  been  doubled  had  it  not  been  for  the 
shortage  of  supplies.  Up  to  December  15  no  new  developments  had 
occurred  iu  the  district  to  change  the  opinion  of  those  best  informed 
that  no  creeks  will  be  found  to  equal  Bonanza  and  Eldorado  in  rich- 
ness.   In  speaking  of  this  subject  an  old  practical  miner  says : 

"Whatever  may  have  been  the  cause  that  concentrated  the  gold  in 
the  two  great  creeks,  it  would  seem  that  they  have  become  rich  at  the 
expense  of  a  vast  tract  of  country  which  must,  of  necessity,  be  poor. 
Nor  is  there  anything  unnatural  or  unlikely  iu  this.  That  it  is  so  with 
the  Klondike  gold  field  has  now  become  quite  evident,  and  all  the  rich 
strikes  that  will  ever  bo  heard  of  from  this  i)art  of  the  country  have 
already  been  reported." 

DAWSON. 

About  the  1st  of  September,  1896,  Joseph  Ladue,  of  the  firm  of  Har- 
per &  Ladue,  the  owners  of  a  trading  jiost  and  sawmill  at  Sixty  Mile, 
came  down  from  that  place  and  located  the  town  site  of  the  present 
town  of  Dawson,  selecting  a  level  plot  of  ground  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  Yukon  just  below  the  mouth  of  the  Klondike,  and  lifty-five  miles 
east  of  the  boundary  line  between  Alaska  and  Northwest  Territory. 
The  sawmill  was  brought  down  frouj  Sixty  Mile  and  set  np  on  the  river 
front  about  a  mile  below  the  Klondike.  Ladue  erected  the  first  house 
in  Dawson,  and  had  a  small  stock  of  goods  transferred  from  the  trading 
post  at  Sixty  Mile.  His  supply  of  provisions,  however,  was  iimde- 
quate  to  meet  the  demand,  and  many  of  the  prospectors  were  obliged 
to  go  to  Forty  Mile  and  Circle  City  to  iirocuro  outfits  for  the  winter. 
The  sawmill  was  put  into  operation  at  once,  and  has  turned  ont  about 
2,000,000  feet  of  product,  supplying  the  mines  with  sluice-box  lumber 
and  the  town  and  vicinity  with  building  material.  But  little  building 
was  done  during  the  winter^  the  cold  weather  making  such  work 
impossible,  bnt  men  were  engaged  in  getting  out  logs  for  the  construc- 
tion of  houses  in  the  spring.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1897,  there  were 
only  three  or  four  houses  in  the  town  and  but  few  men  jiassed  the 
winter  there.  As  stated  elsewhere,  some  1,500  came  into  the  district 
during  the  winter,  but  with  few  exceptions  they  passed  np  the  Klon- 
dike and  remained  in  the  gulches  till  spring.  By  midwinter  it  was 
generally  recognized  that  an  extraordinary  strike  had  been  made,  and 
as  it  was  evident  that  Dawson  would  become  the  distributing  point  for 
the  mines,  there  was  an  active  demand  for  town  lots.  By  the  Ist  of 
June  eight  or  nine  buildings  had  been  erected  on  the  river  front,  and 
there  was  a  population  of  five  or  six  hundred  in  the  town,  living  prin- 
cipally in  tents.    There  were  three  gambling  houses  and  saloons,  all 


R. 


THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


331 


:o  $10,000,000. 
udicates  tliat 
and  Eldorado, 
strict,  a  nuin- 
I  been  for  the 
lopments  had 
best  informed 
lorado  in  rich- 
says  : 

;d  the  gold  in 
tne  rich  at  the 
isity,  be  poor. 
it  it  is  so  with 
ttd  all  the  rich 
country  have 


e  firm  of  Ilar- 
at  Sixty  Mile, 
)f  the  present 
i  east  bank  of 
Ifty-flve  miles 
est  Territory, 
p  on  the  river 
;he  first  house 
>m  the  trading 
r,  was  inade- 

were  obliged 
)r  the  winter, 
ied  out  about 
se-box  lumber 
little  building 
ig  such  work 

the  construc- 
)7,  there  were 
n  passed  the 
o  the  district 

up  the  Klon- 
winter  it  was 
en  made,  and 
ting  point  for 

By  the  Ist  of 
i^er  front,  and 
a,  living  prin- 
d  saloons,  all 


doing  a  big  business,  one  taking  in  an  average  of  $1,000  a  day  over 
the  bar,  and  many  games  of  faro,  roulette,  etc.,  were  running  day  and 
night.  Numerous  big  clean-ups  had  been  made  in  the  gulches,  and 
the  town  was  Hooded  with  gold  dust,  it  being  no  uncommon  thing  to 
see  a  miner  enter  a  saloon  with  a  sack  containing  $3,000  or  $4,000  in 
dust  and  leave  it  with  the  barkeeper,  while  he  proceeded  to  "see  the 
town,"  the  sight  usually  proving  so  expensive  that  he  had  but  a  small 
balance  to  his  credit  at  the  bar  when  final  settlement  was  made. 

On  June  2, 1897,  the  steamer  Bella,  belonging  to  the  Alaska  Com- 
mercial Company,  reached  Dawson,  being  the  first  boat  to  get  up  the 
river.  She  had  wintered  at  Fort  Yukon,  and  brought  from  that  point 
and  Circle  City  about  450  tons  of  freight,  with  225  passengers  from  the 
latter  place.  The  representatives  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company 
immediately  opened  up  for  business  in  the  small  cabin  formerly  occu- 
pied by  Ladue,  taking  in  about  $0,000  as  the  result  of  the  first  day's 
sales,  and  at  once  made  preparations  to  erect  a  store  building  and  ware- 
houses. TVIeantime  the  steamer  Bella  returned  to  Forty  Mile  and 
brought  up  120  i^assengers  from  that  place. 

On  June  8  the  North  American  Transportation  and  Trading  Com- 
pany's steamer  Weave,  which  had  wintered  at  Circle  City,  reached 
Dawson,  bringing  up  300  tons  of  freight  and  twenty-five  passengers. 
Capt.  John  J.  Healy,  the  manager  of  the  company,  arrived  on  the 
Wearo  from  Fort  Gudahy,  and  at  once  began  the  construction  of  a 
store  and  warehouses  for  the  accommodation  of  the  business  of  his 
company.  In  the  latter  part  of  July  the  sawmill  at  Fort  Cudahy  was 
removed  to  Dawson,  and  it  has  since  been  in  operation,  having  prob- 
ably turned  out  1,000,000  feet  of  lumber  at  the  present  writing. 

IJuilding  operations  were  prosecuted  vigorously  during  the  summer, 
and  by  October  1,  1897,  there  wore  between  four  and  five  hundred 
houses  in  the  town,  many  of  them  very  large  and  expensive.  The 
Alaska  Commercial  Company  had  completed  their  buildings,  which  are 
the  largest  in  Dawson.  Their  store  building  is  40  by  80  feet  and  two 
stories  in  height,  constructed  entirely  of  logs,  and  they  have  one  ware- 
house 30  by  190  feet,  constructed  of  corrugated  iron.  Besides  these 
large  buildings  they  have  three  other  warehouses,  varying  in  length 
from  50  to  100  feet,  all  being  30  feet  in  width,  and  a  flue  two-story  log 
house  used  by  the  employees  of  the  company  for  living  quarters.  The 
cost  of  the  buildings,  according  to  a  statement  ftiruished  by  the  com- 
pany, was  nearly  $260,000.  At  the  above  date  the  North  American 
Transportation  and  Trailing  Company  had  also  completed  their  build- 
ings, consisting  of  a  fine  commodious  store  building,  constructed  of 
logs;  three  warehouses,  constructed  of  corrugated  iron,  and  a  comfort- 
able dwelling  house.  The  cost  of  these  buildings  i'  stated  by  the  com- 
pany to  have  been  about  $160,000. 

The  town  site  of  Dawson  extends  from  the  Kloudiki  along  the  Yukon 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  to  a  high  bluflF,  which  comes  down  to  the  river 


I 


!. 


ii 

Si 


IS 


332 


BULLETIN  OP   THE   DEPARTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


and  extends  back  about  half  a  mile  from  the  river  to  a  steep  range  of 
mountains,  being  of  nearly  uniform  width.  Thf"  companies'  stores  are 
located  on  the  front  street,  facing  the  river,  about  a  mile  below  the 
Klondike.  Along  the  river  front,  toward  the  Klondike,  there  is  a  row 
of  buildings,  thirty-five  or  forty  in  number,  which  are  occupied  by 
saloons  and  gambling  houses  (now  numbering  fifteen),  restaurants,  etc. 
Some  of  these  buildings  are  quite  large,  the  principal  one,  the  opera 
house,  being  40  by  80  feet  and  two  stories  in  height.  The  lot  on  which 
it  stands  was  purchased  for  $12,000,  and  the  building  itself  cost  $20,000. 
Many  lots  on  the  front  street  have  sold  at  prices  ranging  from  $3,000  to 
$12,500,  and  residence  lots  sell  for  from  $300  to  $1,000,  according  to 
location. 

In  the  upper  part  of  town,  facing  the  river,  are  situated  the  barracks 
of  the  mounted  police.  These  consist  of  five  or  six  well-constructed 
log  buildings,  forming  a  hollow  square,  the  principal  one,  the  quarters 
of  the  captain  in  command  of  the  force,  being  two  stories  in  height. 

At  the  lower  end  of  town,  on  a  bench  overlooking  the  river  and  the 
town,  is  situated  the  Sisters'  Hospital,  occupying  three  fine  buildings. 
This  is  the  most  eligible  part  of  Dawson  at  present  for  residences,  and 
quite  a  number  of  comfortable  cabins  have  been  erected  there.  Tlie 
greater  number  of  the  private  residences,  however,  are  located  on  the 
flat  between  the  front  street  and  the  mountains.  This  portion  of  the 
town  is  a  muck  bed,  and  during  the  summer  months  is  covered  with 
stagnant  water  to  a  depth  of  a  foot  in  many  places.  No  attempt  has  been 
made  to  drain  it,  and  as  a  consequence  there  were  many  cases  of  typho- 
malarial  fever  during  the  past  summer,  there  being  thirteen  patients  in 
the  hospital  October  1, 1897,  suifering  from  this  disease.  Fortunately 
the  fever  is  not  of  a  virulent  tyjje,  and  yields  readily  to  treatment,  but 
few  deaths  being  reported.  About  seventy-five  deaths  occurred  in  the 
district  during  the  past  year,  many  the  result  of  bad  living.  Unless 
some  concerted  action  is  taken  looking  to  the  improvement  of  the 
insanitary  condition  of  the  town,  there  must  inevitably  be  a  great  deal 
of  sickness  next  summer,  when  the  situation  will  be  aggravated  by  the 
accumulation  of  offal  during  the  winter,  and  the  overflowing  cesspools. 

Many  newcomers  during  the  past  season  sufleredfrom  a  troublesome 
dysentery,  evidently  brought  on  by  drinking  water  from  the  Yukon, 
which  is  strongly  impregnated  with  minerals,  especially  below  the 
mouth  of  White  lliver,  which  takes  its  name  from  a  white  substance  in 
its  waters,  supposed  to  be  volcanic  ash.  The  water  when  drunk  has 
much  the  same  efVect  as  the  alkali  waters  of  the  streams  in  the  western 
part  of  the  United  States.  There  is  also  much  complaint  among  the 
ol(l-tim<!rs  of  kidney  and  bladder  aflections,  which  they  universally 
attribute  to  the  water. 

Across  the  Klondike  Crom  Dawson,  occupying  a  triangular  trnct  of 
ground  bounded  by  the  Yukon,  the  Klondike,  and  the  mountains,  is  a 
collection  of  tw<'nty-(ive  or  thirty  cabins  locally  known  as  "  Louse 
Town,"  so  named  by  some  observant  and  facetious  individual  who  was 


#'# 


X  4 


THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


333 


probably  cognizant  of  a  predominant  peculiarity  of  the  Indians  living 
there.  This  is  the  most  healthy  part  of  the  town,  being  high  and  dry 
and  having  good  drainage,  and  when  relieved  of  the  incubus  of  its 
present  local  appellation,  which  it  is  presumed  will  disappear  with  the 

•      •  passing  of  the  red  man,  will  be  the  most  desirable  portion  of  the  town 

for  residence.  Just  opposite  Dawson,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Yukon, 
is  an  eligible  sight  for  suburban  residences,  and  already  a  number  of 

m   ll  comfortable  cabins  have  been  erected  there. 

Nearly  all  the  houses  in  Dawson  are  built  of  logs.  A  typical  cabin 
is  14  by  16  feet,  inside  measurement,  requiring  for  its  construction  irom 
twenty-eight  to  forty  logs,  the  number  depending  on  their  size.  The 
walls  are  carried  to  a  height  of  eight  feet,  being  surmounted  by  a 
gable  roof  with  a  three- foot  pitch,  supported  by  three  logs  laid  parallel 
with  one  another,  one  forming  the  ridgepole.  Across  these  supports, 
arranged  as  closely  together  as  possible,  are  placed  small  poles  or 
slabs,  which  extend  a  foot  or  so  beyond  the  walls,  forming  the  eaves. 
Over  these  a  layer  of  moss  is  spread  and  the  whole  topped  out  with 
earth  to  the  depth  of  six  inches.  The  walls  are  (ihinked  with  moss 
and  a  single  sash  window  is  placed  in  the  south  wall  to  admit  the  sun- 
light. The  floors  of  the  cabins  built  last  winter  generally  consist  of 
hewn  logs  or  whip-sawed  lumber,  but  flooring  purchased  from  the  saw- 
mills is  now  commonly  used.  Such  a  cabin  as  that  described,  when 
heated  by  a  Yukon  stove,  is  quite  comfortable,  even  in  the  coldest 
weather.  The  expense  of  constructing  cabins  is  considerable.  All 
the  logs  used  in  Dawson  are  rafted  from  points  up  the  river,  and  as 
the  demand  for  logs  at  the  sawmills  and  for  building  purposes  has 
exhausted  the  supply  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  town,  the  loggers 
are  obliged  to  go  from  25  to  150  miles  up  the  river  to  find  logs  of 
sufficient  size,  the  best  logs  for  lumber  being  secured  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Fort  Selkirk,  about  150  miles  above  Dawson,  though  good 

0  ^  house  logs  can  be  found  at  much  nearer  points.    The  price  of  logs  for 

lumber,  in  the  water  on  the  river  front,  is  $50  a  thousand  feet,  board 
measurement.    Logs  for  building  purposes  cost  $5  apiece  in  the  water, 

\     i  and  the  expense  of  transporting  them  to  the  residence  pprtion  of  the 

town  is  as  much  more,  a  man  with  two  horses  engaged  in  this  work 
receiving  $5  per  log  or  $50  a  day  for  such  services.  The  moss  for  a 
cabin  costs  from  $25  to  $30. 

The  prices  of  lumber  at  the  mills  are  as  follows:  Common  rough 
lumber,  $140  per  1,000  feet;  sluice-box  lumber,  $150;  six-inch  flooring, 
$190;  four- inch  beaded  ceiling  lumber,  $200  (double  surfaced,  $240). 
The  wages  paid  by  the  sawmills  are  as  follows:  Foreman,  $12  a  «lay; 
engineer,  $12;  sawyer,  $12,  and  a  common  laborer,  $10.  The  mills  run 
night  and  day  from  early  in  May  to  October  1,  working  two  shifts  of  ten 
hours  each.  Bach  of  the  mills  employed  about  ten  men  during  the  past 
season.  The  price  of  logs  in  1896  was  $25  per  1,000  feet  (board  meas- 
urement); but  during  the  season  of  1897  the  price  advanced  to  $50,  on 
account  of  the  scarcity  of  logs  in  the  immediate  vicinity.    A  good  log- 


884 


BULLETIN  or  THE   DEPARTMENT  OP    LABOR. 


ger  can  make  $20  a  day  during  the  season  at  this  price,  but  the  season 
is  short  and  the  work  exceedingly  hard,  the  men  being  compelled  to 
remain  in  the  water  for  hours  at  a  time  while  constructing  the  rafts. 

Carpenters  receive  $15  a  day,  and  common  laborers  of  all  kinds  receive 
$10  a  day,  ten  hours  constituting  a  day's  work.  The  wages  of  laborers 
during  June  and  July  were  $15,  but  they  were  reduced  August  1, 1897, 
to  the  present  figure. 

These  high  prices  of  material  and  labor  make  the  expense  of  building 
very  great,  au  ordinary  one-room  cabin,  such  as  that  above  described, 
costing  from  $700  to  $1,000,  according  to  finish.  If  a  rough-board  par- 
tition is  desired,  $150  has  to  be  added  to  these  figures  to  secure  it.  The 
cost  of  a  two-story  business  building  25  by  80  feet  runs  high  up  into  the 
thousands,  many  of  the  buildings  of  this  class  costing  from  $12,000  to 
$20,000  each,  according  to  finish.  Some  of  the  more  pretentious  struc- 
tures are  constructed  of  sawed  logs,  cut  to  a  uniform  thickness  of  six 
inches,  with  the  edges  squared,  forming  a  weather  proof  six-inch  wall. 
These  buildings  present  a  very  neat  appearance  and  posi^ss  all  the 
advantages  of  the  ordinary  log  house  as  regards  warmth  and  durability. 

There  is  one  tin  shop  in  Dawson.  The  force  of  five  or  six  men  was 
employed  during  the  fall  almost  exclusively  in  the  manufacture  of 
stoves.  The  ordinary  Klondike  (or  Yukon)  stove  co&ts  $40.  This  is 
made  of  No.  20  sheet  iron,  being  30  inches  long,  14  inches  wide,  and  10 
inches  deep,  with  two  holes,  and  having  an  oven  9  by  14  inches,  the 
remainder  of  the  space  being  taken  up  by  the  fire  box.  A  larger  size, 
containing  five  holes,  costs  $50.  These  stoves  are  good  bakers,  and 
heat  a  small  cabin  comfortably  with  very  little  fuel.  Stovepipe  (5  inch) 
costs  $1  a  joint.  A  copper  wash  boiler  costs  $10;  tin  wash  boiler,  $6; 
teakettle  with  copper  bottom,  $5,  and  other  utensils  in  like  proportion. 
Tinsmiths  receive  $15  per  day  of  ten  hours,  the  charge  for  work  done 
outside  the  shop  being  $20  a  day  per  man. 

There  are  two  watchmakers  in  Dawson,  whose  scale  of  prices  for 
repairing  is  as  follows:  Cleaning,  $5;  main  spring,  $4;  open-face 
crystal,  $1.50;  hunting-case  crystal,  $1;  balance  staff,  $G  to  $8.50; 
roller  jewel,.  $3;  hole  and  cap  jewel,  $4;  hands,  75  cents;  lifting 
spring,  $5. 

Two  blacksmith  shops,  each  employing  from  two  to  four  men,  are 
kept  busy  shoeing  horses,  making  picks,  shoeing  sleds,  etc.  The 
charge  for  shoeing  a  horse  all  around  is  ^.fO;  making  pick,  $8;  shoeing 
dog  sled  (seven  feet  long),  $10.  Blacksmiths  receive  $15  per  day  of 
ten  hours. 

One  of  the  restaurants  still  open  October  1, 1897,  paid  the  following 
wages,  board  and  lodging  included :  Two  cooks,  $10  a  day  each ;  waiter, 
$30  a  week;  dishwasher,  $25  a  week;  woman  helper,  $25  a  week. 

The  Opera  House  saloon,  the  principal  establishment  of  the  kind, 
pays  weighers  $20  a  day.  Barkeepers  receive  from  $15  to  $20  a  day, 
twelve-hour  shifts,  according  to  stylo  and  the  seductiveness  of  their 
decoctions.    The  gambling  department  of  the  same  institution  pays  its 


.J 


THE   A/^ASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


335 


are 


*' 


dealers  from  $15  to  $20  a  day,  twelve-hour  shifts.  These  are  the  liigU- 
est  wages  paid  for  this  class  of  service.  Other  saloons  pay  from  $10 
to  $15  a  day,  the  i)revailiiig  rate  being  $12.50.  The  following  prices 
are  charged  in  the  saloons:  Whisky,  beer,  seltzer,  beef  tea,  etc.,  50 
cents;  cigars,  50  cents;  sherry  and  egg,  $1.50;  milk  (canned)  punch, 
$1.50;  champagne,  two  ounces  of  gold  ($34)  per  quart  bottle-^three 
ounces  ($51)  when  scarce.  The  Opera  House  runs  a  dance  hall,  in 
which  six  or  eight  women  are  employed,  their  tour  of  duty  extending 
from  0  p.  m.  to  the  close  of  the  festivities,  generally  4  or  5  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  They  receive  a  salary  of  $40  a  week  and  a  commission 
of  25  per  cent  on  the  drinks  and  cigars  consumed  by  their  partners. 
The  more  attractive  and  industrious  make  as  high  as  $100  a  week. 
The  dance  hall  is  nightly  crowded  by  a  motley  throng,  many  of  the 
lending  citizens  frequenting  the  place  and  leading  in  the  dance.  An 
babitu<^  of  the  institution,  in  determining  the  length  of  time  he  will  be 
able  to  i>articipate  in  the  revelries,  bases  his  calculation  on  the  number 
of  '<alleman de-lefts"  he  has  remaining  in  his  sack. 

The  salaries  paid  by  the  commercial  companies  are  as  follows,  includ- 
ing board  and  lodging:  Bookkeepers,  $125  a  month,  and  clerks,  $100. 
Laborers  in  the  warehouses  receive  $125  per  mouth,  without  board. 

Three  or  four  laundries  are  in  operation,  charging  from  $4  to  $G  per 
dozen  pieces,  the  price  depending  on  the  amount  of  work  on  hand  and 
the  inclination  of  the  laundress  to  accept  more  orders. 

The  one  barber  shop  charges  the  following  prices:  Shaving,  60  cents; 
hair  cutting,  $1;  shampoo,  $1;  bath  (six  gallons  of  lukewarm  water), 
$1.50.  One  journeyman  barber  was  receiving  $75  a  week  up  to  Octo- 
ber 1, 1897,  tips  amounting  to  $25  or  $30  more;  but  he  was  forced  to  go 
down  the  river  on  account  of  lack  of  supplies.  Two  other  barbers 
received  60  per  cent  of  their  receipts. 

There  are  five  or  six  physicians  in  the  town,  their  fees  being  an  ounce 
of  gold  ($17)  per  visit.  For  visiting  a  patient  in  the  gulches  the  charge 
is  from  $100  to  $500,  according  to  distance. 

During  the  past  year  some  thirty  horses  were  engaged  in  packing 
between  Dawson  and  the  mines.  One  of  the  leading  freighters  fur- 
nished the  following  figures:  Summer  rate  for  packing,  20  to  40  cents  a 
pound,  according  to  distance;  30  cents  to  The  Forks  (13  miles  from 
Dawson).  The  winter  rate  is  8  cents  to  The  Forks.  The  packer 
receives  $100  a  week  and  boards  himself.  Feed  costs  from  $3  to  $4  a 
day  to  the  animal,  hay  ranging  from  $250  to  $500  per  ton,  and  a  good 
horse  packs  200  pounds,  making  ten  round  trips  a  month,  on  an  aver- 
age.   A  horse  costs  from  $300  to  $600. 

Cordwood  costs  $25  per  cord  laid  down  at  the  door  ready  to  burn — 
$15  in  the  water,  $5  for  hauling  to  the  place  of  consumption,  and  $o  for 
sawing  into  stove  lengths. 

The  civil  government  is  in  the  hands  of  tbe  Northwest  mounted  police. 
The  force  consists  of  a  fine  body  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  men.  The 
inspector  in  command  has  been  on  the  Yukon  for  three  years,  having 


336 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


been  stationed  at  Forty  Mile  previous  to  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the 
Klondike.  He  has  fall  magisterial  powers,  and  the  fact  that  he  is 
universally  esteemed  by  all  classes  in  the  community  indicates  that  he 
performs  the  difficult  duties  of  his  position  with  wisdom  and  discretion. 

The  business  of  provisioning  the  community  is  almost  exclusively 
controlled  by  the  two  great  commen^ial  companies  whose  establish- 
ments have  been  described,  as  they  possess  the  only  means  of  bringing 
merchandise  into  the  country  in  large  quantities.  During  the  past 
summer  considerable  quantities  of  goods  of  various  kinds  were  brought 
in  over  the  trails  and  down  the  yukon  in  small  boats,  but  these  con- 
sisted principally  of  light  articles  known  to  be  scarce  here  and  there- 
fore commanding  abnormal  prices ;  otherwise  the  small  traders  could 
not  have  competed  with  the  commercial  companies.  It  is  iuipossible 
for  the  general  public  to  secure  the  transportation  of  freight  by  way  of 
St.  Michaels,  as  the  companies  reonire  the  full  tonnage  of  their  boats 
for  the  accommodation  of  their  own  business. 

It  is  claimed  to  be  the  custom  of  both  companies  to  sell  goods  for  a 
fixed  price,  regardless  of  the  quantity  on  hand,  and  it  must  be  admitted 
that  their  prices,  especially  for  the  staples — those  things  which  are 
absolutely  necessary  for  fairly  comfortabia  subsistence — are  reasona- 
ble, when  the  great  difficulties  and  cost  of  transportation  are  consid- 
ered, (a)  Ignorance  of  this  policy  on  the  part  of  tliose  coming  in  over 
the  trails  last  summer  was  a  very  important  factor  in  bringing  about 
the  present  scarcity  of  provisions.  Men  with  large  outfits  atDyea  and 
Skagway,  on  learning  that  flour  was  quoted  at  $12  a  hundred  in  Daw- 
son, would  come  to  the  erroneous  conclusion  that  it  must  be  plentiful, 
and  would  refuse  to  pay  the  $40  to  $60  a  hundred  which  was  being 
charged  for  packing  on  the  Dyea  and  Skagway  trails.  As  a  conse- 
quence hundreds  of  men  came  into  the  country  without  flour  and  other 
staples  who  would  otherwise  have  come  in  well  supplied. 

The  companies  endeavor  to  make  an  equitable  distribution  of  their 
goods  among  their  customers.  Each  company  has  an  order  clerk, 
supplied  with  blanks,  whose  business  it  is  to  take  the  orders  of  cus- 
tomers, who  usually  place  their  orders  early  in  the  season,  a  deposit  of 
$200  being  required  on  a  year's  outfit.  All  orders  received  prior  to  a 
certain  date,  determinable  by  the  stock  on  hand  and  the  couditioti  of 
the  river,  are  guaranteed;  but  all  received  subsequent  to  that  date  are 
taken  conditionally.  For  instance,  during  the  pa«t  season  the  Alaska 
Commercial  Company  guaranteed  all  orders  placed  at  their  store  in 
Dawson  prior  to  September  1,  but  informed  customers  placing  orders 
later  than  that  date  that  it  might  not  be  possible  to  fill  them. 

a  This  was  writttm  about  the  Ist  of  November,  1897,  boing  based  upon  the  stnte- 
ments  of  both  cotupanies.  Two  luonthA'  further  obaervation  on  the  ground  deuiands 
certain  uiodificationB,  which  will  be  found  in  the  sectioue  on  the  Business  Outlook, 
Transportation,  and  Fort  Yukon.  The  pnragrapli  is  allowed  to  stand  ae  originally 
writt<;n,  as  it  sorvcs  most  admirably  as  an  illustration  of  the  elusiveuess  of  a  Yukon 
fact. 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


337 


on  the 

t  he  is 
that  he 
cretiou. 
[naively 
tablish- 
iriugiDg 
,he  past 
brought 
lese  cou- 
(1  there- 
)r8  could 
ipossible 
►y  way  of 
eir  boats 

ods  for  a 
admitted 
rhich  are 
I  reosona- 
pe  consid- 
ig  in  over 
ing  about 
Dyea  and 
d  in  Daw- 
plentiful, 
wras  being 
8  a  conse- 
and  other 

on  of  their 
rder  clerk, 
era  of  cus- 
i  deposit  of 
I  prior  to  a 
ondition  of 
lat  date  are 
the  Alaaka 
eir  store  in 
cing  orders 
m. 

ipon  the  state- 
onnd  ileuiands 
inesB  Outlook, 
1  as  originally 
esB  of  a  Yukon 


The  following  typical  order  for  a  year's  outfit  was  furnished  by  the 
Alaska  Commercial  Company : 


ONE  YEAR'S  0T7TFIT  FOR  ONE  MINER. 


Articles. 


600  ponndH  Hour 

80  poiinilH   .oHUH 

26  poiiuilH  peas 

25  pouiitls  riillMl  oats 

15  puuntlH  ciirn  meal 1 

1  uaso  ooiuleiiBf'<l  milk,  4  dozen  1-pound  cans  ...< 

1  oose  i'aUlinKQ,  2  do;:en  2'punnd  rnnx 

1  case  ronst  rtrcl',  1  dozen  2-pouud  conn 

1  case  corned  licef,  I  doiteii  '2-pnund  cans 

1  caHu  aansBKti  moat,  2  dozen  2- pound  cans 

1  case  turkey,  2  dozen  Spound  chmh 

1  cane  tomatoes,  2  dozen  24-pouiid  cans 

1  cnsn  string  beans,  2  dozen  2- pound  cans 

75  pounds  l)acon 

5(1  jtouuds  ham 

25  pounds  dried  apples 

26  pounds  dried  prunes 

25  pounds  drie<l  peaches , 

2S  iMiunds  dried  »'■■  ii-ots 

25  jwunds  raisiuB       gropes 

100  pounds  eranuluud  sn^car 

1  keg  pickles,  .'S  gallons.. 

1  kec  sauerkrniu,  5  gallons 

6  gallons  mnplc  Hlrup , 

25  pounds  evaporated  potatoes 

15  pounds  ciioosit 

20  ponnds  A  rliuckle's  coffee 

6  jiounds  black  tea , 

B  iio II iidH  oliocolate 

8  lidtties  lime  juice 

6  liull  les  Woroestersliire  sauce 

80  pounds  lanl 

1  tiox  macnronl,  12  pounds 

12  pounds  mince-meat 

2  piiirs  rubber  boots 

1  till  assorted  cnkes,  36  pounds 

4  l>o\eR  ciindles,  120  to  tlio  box 

1  case  linking  powder,  2  dozen  one-half  pound  cans 

6  burs  washing  soap 

B  bars  toilet  soop 

16  pounds  salt 

1  case  coal  oil,  1 0  gallons 

2  lamp  cbiiiincy  s 

100  feet  of  rope,  t  liree-fourths  or  seven-eighths  (45  pounds)  . 

1  live- foot  bull  saw 

2  biill'Saw  llles 

1  pair  arctic  overshoes 

2  pairs  felt  hoots 

4  pairs  woolen  socks 

2  pairs  nioceanins 

2  pairs  water  Imots 

0  pairs  skin  mittous , 


Total    . 


Mm  In 

Dawson. 


««0.  00 

10.00 

6.25 

6.26 

3.76 

34.00 

12.00 

9.00 

H.  00 

18.00 

12.00 

10.00 

12.00 

80.00 

22.50 

6.26 

0.26 

7.60 

8.75 

6.21 

80.00 

6.00 

6. 00 

15.  (10 

12.50 

7.50 

10.00 

6.25 

8.75 

4.00 

4.50 

g.uu 

2.  00 

12.00 

18.00 

10.00 

24.  00 

12.00 

1.00 

1.00 

1.  .'lO 

12.00 

.50 

18.00 

6.00 

l.iJO 

4.  50 
5.00 
4.00 

5.  OU 
5.00 

15.00 


660.25 


Price  in 
Ctrol« 
City. 

$60. 00 

0.60 

6.26 

6.29 

8.00 

30.00 

10.00 

9.00 

6.00 

18.00 

1X00 

10.00 

12.00 

30.00 

20.00 

6.36 

6.2S 

7.50 

8.76 

6.25 

26.00 

6.00 

5.00 

16.00 

10.00 

7.50 

10.00 

5.00 

3.76 

5.00 

4.50 

9.00 

2.00 

12.00 

24.00 

15.00 

28.00 

12.00 

1.00 

1. 00 

l.iiO 

12.00 

.50 

13.50 

6.00 

1.50 

4.50 

5.00 

4.00 

5.00 

6.00 

16.00 


531. 35 


Tills  order  was  placed  June  20, 1897,  and  was  accomi>anled  by  a  deposit 
of  i^'iOO.  For  two  or  three  items  the  quantities  are  somewhat  large,  the 
Older  calling  for  100  pounds  of  flour  in  excess  of  the  usual  allowance; 
but  as  some  luxuries  have  been  omitted,  it  constitutes  an  average  outfit 
so  far  as  cost  is  concerned.  When  an  ordor  is  guaranteed,  the  goods 
are  assembled  in  one  pile,  marked  "sold,"  and  held  in  the  warehouse 
subject  to  the  order  of  the  purchaser.  If  he  is  a  miner,  he  usually 
prefers  to  let  his  outfit  remain  in  the  warehouse  until  cold  weather,  in 
ordtT  to  take  advantage  of  the  lower  rates  for  freighting  to  the  gulches 
prevailing  after  the  snow  falls.    On  account  of  the  wholesale  robbery 


1^ 


888 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DKPARTMBNT  OF  LABOR. 


of  caches  (a)  during  tbe  past  summer  and  fall,  even  those  cuHtoniers 
residing  in  town  allowed  their  supplies  to  remain  in  the  custody  of  tbe 
companies  as  long  as  possible. 

Tlie  prices  quoted  above  will  not  seem  exorbitant  to  old  miners,  who 
recall  that  in  Tucson  and  Tombstone  in  1877  they  paid  $25  a  hundred 
for  tiour  at  the  stores,  50  cents  a  pound  for  bacon,  40  cents  a  pound  for 
sugar,  and  proportionate  prices  for  other  commodities;  nor  to  the  old- 
timer  who  paid  $1  a  pound  for  tlour,  bacon,  etc.,  at  the  stores  in  Helena 
during  tbo  flush  days  of  Last  Chance.  It  is  no  doubt  true  that  many 
articles  command  higher  prices  here  than  have  ever  been  paid  any  wht^re 
else  ou  the  continent;  but  it  should  bo  borne  in  mind  that  this  coiulition 
has  been  brought  about  through  the  "cornering''  of  those  articles  by 
unscrupulous  speculators,  and  that  both  companies  have  made  every 
effort  to  prevent  the  present  state  of  affairs,  recognizing  that  it  would 
injure  the  country  and  retard  its  development. 

"While  the  companies'  prices  for  staples  are  comparatively  reasonable, 
as  stated,  the  same  can  not  be  said  in  regard  to  the  prices  c?iargcd  for 
many  other  articles.  As  a  general  rule,  clothing  of  all  kinds  sells  for 
prices  200  x)er  cent  iu  advance  of  the  prices  charged  for  the  same  grade 
c''  goods  in  the  States  of  the  country ;  shoes  and  all  kinds  of  footwear, 
100  to  150  i)cr  cent  advance;  dry  goods,  200  to  600  per  cent,  calico  selling 
for  25  cents  per  yard,  or  5  yards  for  $1;  patent  medicines  and  drugs, 
300  to  1,000  i)er  cent — a  popular  blood  purifier,  which  usually  sells  for  75 
cents  a  bottle  at  retail,  costing  $3  here,  and  drugs  generally  selling  for 
$1  per  ounce,  without  regard  to  original  cost.  A  12pound  Afackinaw 
blanket  sells  for  $25,  the  prices  of  all  grades  of  blankets  being  from 
100  to  150  per  cent  higher  than  iu  the  United  States.  A  wolf  robe, 
retailing  for  $40  in  Seattle,  costs  from  $150  to  $250  here,  according  to 
the  financial  condition  of  the  purchaser.  A  repeating  rifle,  which  retails 
for  $20  outside,  sells  here  for  $50.  A  set  of  ordinary  ironstone  china 
dinner  plates,  costing  75  cents  at  retail  iu  the  United  States,  brings  $0 
here.  As  25  cents  is  the  smallest  change  made,  there  is  an  immense 
profit  in  small  articles,  such  as  lead  pencils,  needles,  thread,  etc. 

Ecflned  alcohol  of  a  grade  that  sells  at  retail  in  the  East  for  $3.75 
per  gallon  is  sold  by  the  companies  for  $40  per  gallon.  They  charge 
$17  per  gallon  for  a  brand  of  blended  whisky  that  can  be  bought  at 
retail  outside  for  $2.50,  and  $120  a  case  (12  quarts)  for  champagne. 
Cigars  of  a  quality  usually  sold  for  $6  per  hundred  are  sold  here  for 
$14,  and  retail  over  the  bars  at  50  cents  apiece.  In  the  matter  of 
smoking  and  chewing  tobaccos  the  charges  are  more  reasonable,  the 
dealers  being  satisfied  with  an  advance  over  outside  prices  of  from  50 
to  100  per  cent. 

There  is  an  enormous  profit  in  cheap  jewelry.    An  imitation  gold 

aHouBehold  proviBions  are  generally  stored  in  an  oathonne,  called  a  "cache/' 
UBually  couBtracted  of  i\  boat  placed  on  postii  six  or  eight  feet  high,  beyond  the  roach 
of  dogs. 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   ttIELDS. 


330 


cuKtoiiiers 
:ody  of  the 

liners,  who 
a  humlied 
*  pouml  for 
to  the  oUl- 
ss  in  lleleuft 
I  that  many 
d  anywhero 
lis  condition 
)  articles  by 
made  every 
liat  it  would 

J  reasonable, 
\  cliargod  for 
inds  sells  for 
e  same  grade 
J  of  footwear, 
calico  selling 
iS  and  drugs, 
lly  sells  for  75 
ly  selling  for 
nd  Mackinaw 
;s  being  from 

A  wolf  robe, 
,  according  to 
,  which  retails 
onstone  china 
ttcs,  brings  $<» 
3  an  immense 
Bad,  etc. 
East  for  $3.75 
They  charge 
1  be  bo'ight  at 
jr  champagne. 
B  sold  here  for 

the  matter  of 
reasonable,  the 
ices  of  from  50 

imitation  gold 

called  a  "cache," 
beyond  the  roach 


wat<;h  retailing  for  $5  in  the  United  States  sells  here  for  $10,  and  a 
gold  wa.shed  watch  chain  which  could  be  duplicated  outside  for  $1.50 
meets  with  an  occasional  sale  for  $8.  There  is  less  demand  for  this 
class  of  jewelry,  however,  than  formerly,  the  people  generally  dcuiaud- 
ing  the  best  grades. 

There  is  a  fair  demand  among  the  miners  for  a  good  grade  of  watches 
and  chains,  the  prevailing  prices  being  from  100  to  150  per  cent  higher 
than  in  the  United  States. 

There  is  an  active  sale  for  diamonds  of  from  1  to  4  carats.  In  October, 
1807,  a  small  diamond  which  cost  $35  at  retail  in  San  Francisco  sold 
for  $150  in  Dawson;  but  this  price  was  exceptional. 

In  the  spring  of  1897,  before  the  boats  got  up,  there  was  a  groat 
scarcity  of  many  kinds  of  provisions,  and  abnormal  prices  prevailed. 
Flour  sold  for  $126  a  hundred;  bacon  from  $1.50  to  $2  a  pound;  moose 
meat,  75  cents  a  pound,  and  many  other  articles  iu  like  proportion. 

One  restaurant  was  running  June  1.  After  the  boats  got  up  and 
provisions  could  be  obtained  other  restaurants  were  started,  there  being 
four  by  Juno  15,  and  eight  by  July  10.  The  price  of  a  meal  was  $1.50, 
the  regulation  meal  consisting  of  bread,  butter,  and  coffee,  bacon  and 
beans,  and  canned  corn.  Later,  when  beef  cattle  got  in,  a  small  steak 
was  added  to  the  menu.  A  tenderloin  beefsteak,  ordered  by  the  card, 
cost  $2.50,  the  charge  for  two  eggs  on  the  side  being  $1.50.  During  the 
last  week  in  September  only  two  restaurants  were  running  (all  the 
others  having  been  forced  to  close  through  lack  of  supplies)  the  bill  of 
fare  being  as  follows:  Breakfast,  bread,  butter,  and  cofl'ee,  beefsteak, 
canned  com,  and  hot  cakes;  dinner,  the  same,  with  rice  pudding  sub- 
stituted for  hot  cakes;  supper,  the  same,  minus  hot  cakes  and  pudding. 
Price,  $1.50  per  meal.  By  October  1  one  of  these  rostuurants  clof  ed  on 
account  of  lack  of  i)rovisions,  the  other  continuing  to  iJo  busineos  iu  a 
precarious  way  for  a  few  days,  and  charging  from  $2  to  83.50  per  meal, 
the  character  of  the  service  deteriorating  iu  about  the  same  ratio  as  the 
price  increased,  until  at  the  final  collapse  $3.50  was  being  charged  for 
bread,  butter,  and  coffee,  and  a  very  small  and  exceedingly  tough  steak. 
After  the  close  of  the  last  restaurant,  about  October  10,  an  enterprising 
individual  opened  up  a  soxip  house,  displaying  the  following  sign: 
"  Bean  soup  from  10  a.  m.  to  3  p.  m.,  $2.50."  He  served  a  fair  article 
of  soup,  with  a  cup  of  tea  and  a  slice  of  bread,  doing  a  rushing  business 
for  a  few  days,  when  he  was  forced  to  close  on  account  of  the  scarcity 
of  beans. 

The  only  medium  of  exchange  in  general  circuTation  is  gold  dust, 
which  passes  current  at  a  valuation  of  $17  per  ounce.  Considerable 
coin  and  pai^er  money  have  been  brought  into  the  country,  but  when 
any  of  it  is  paid  to  a  business  man  it  immediately  disappears  from 
circulation,  presumably  being  used  for  the  purpose  of  making  remit- 
tances to  the  outside  world  instead  of  the  more  bulky  and  less  conven- 
ient gold  dust.    Every  place  of  business  has  a  pair  of  gold  scales,  pre- 


:r^ 


340 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


sided  over  by  a  weigher  whose  duty  it  is  to  weigh  the  gold  dust  received 
in  the  course  of  business.  The  customer  pours  into  a  little  scoop  enough 
dust  to  cover  the  amount  of  his  purchase,  and  from  this  the  weigher 
weighs  out  the  exact  amount,  returning  the  balance  to  the  customer's 
sack.  This  method  of  exchange  has  many  disadvantages,  the  principal 
objection  in  ordinary  business  transactions  being  the  loss  of  time  in 
weighing,  etc.  Those  who  patronize  saloons  and  gambling  houses  com- 
plain of  unfair  weighing  by  some  of  the  lesb  scrupulous  proprietors. 
A  weigher  in  a  saloon  who  can  not  extract  a  20  per  cent  advantage 
from  the  opportunities  oflfered  is  not  considered  an  adept  in  his  line. 
Aside  from  these  objections  there  i.s  some  loss  from  the  careless  han- 
dling of  gold  sacks,  especially  w^ien  men  are  under  the  influence  of 
liquor,  a  not  infrequent  spectacle  here. .  After  a  man  has  taken  two  or 
three  drinks  of  Dawson  whisky  he  is  apt  to  forget  to  tie  his  gold  sack, 
and  in  taking  it  out  of  his  pocket  to  pay  for  the  next  drink  is  liable  to 
sow  some  of  hiti  dust  on  the  floor,  where  a  small  portion  of  it  is  natu- 
rally lost  to  him,  but  not  to  the  janitor,  who  pans  out  the  floor  sweepings 
in  the  morning,  often  cleaning  up  from  one  to  two  ounces.  This  unsat- 
isfactory condition  in  regard  to  the  circulating  medium,  which  exists 
throughout  the  Yukon  basin,  must  continue  until  the  two  governments 
make  some  provision  for  a  currency,  through  the  establishment  of  assay 
ofllces  or  otherwise. 

During  August,  1897,  there  were  about  3,000  people  in  the  town,  a 
large  proportion  of  whom  had  come  over  the  trails  and  down  the 
Yukon,  for,  although  the  news  of  the  great  strike  di-  not  reach  the  out- 
side world  until  the  middle  of  July,  it  was  known  in  Juneau  and  at 
other  points  in  southeastern  Alaska  in  Feb^  nary,  and  in  April  and  May 
the  Dyea  trail  was  swarming  with  men  from  Juneau  and  vicinity  on 
their  way  to  the  Klondike.  A  register  is  kei)t  at  Fort  Selkirk  of  those 
passing  down  the  river,  and  on  October  3  this  register  and  the  count 
kept  there  showed  tliat  3,500  men  had  passed  that  point  during  tlie  sea- 
son, bound  for  the  new  diggings.  This  number,  added  to  those  already 
in  the  country  and  the  two  or  three  hundred  who  had  reached  Dawson 
from  St.  Michaels,  brought  the  population  of  tlie  Klondike  district  up 
to  fully  5,000,  as  very  few  people  had  left  the  country  dnring  the  sum- 
mer. Most  of  those  who  came  down  the  river  during  the  early  part  of  the 
season  were  miners  or  others  accustomed  to  the  hardships  of  I'rontier  life, 
but  those  arriving  later  were  largely  professional  men,  clerks,  etc.,  who 
had  never  had  anyexperienceoutsideof  thecitieswhere  tlieyhad  followed 
their  vocations  and  who  were  i^oorly  equii)ped  by  nature  and  training 
for  the  struggle  which  confronted  them  under  the  hard  conditions  pre- 
vailing here.  Among  the  number  that  came  in  during  August,  Sep- 
tember, and  October  were  many  women  and  children,  and  these  found 
*heir  surroundings  peculiarly  trying,  as  it  was  impossible  to  secure 
jiro)  ?r  shelter  before  the  setting  in  of  cold  weather.  On  October  1 
ti'ere  were  about  2,000  people  in  Dawson,  probably  i,t>00  of  whom  were 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD    FIELDS. 


341 


dust  received 
scoop  enough 
i  the  weigher 
tie  custotner's 
the  principal 
>8S  of  time  in 
2  houses  com- 
s  proprietors. 
mt  advantage 
pt  in  his  line, 
careless  han- 
e  influence  of 
}  taken  two  or 
his  gold  sack, 
nk  is  liable  to 
1  of  it  is  natu- 
loor  sweepings 
i.    This  uusat- 
1,  which  exists 

0  governments 
hment  of  assay- 
in  the  town,  a 
and  down  the 
;  reach  the  out- 
Jnneau  and  at 
April  and  May 
and  vicinity  on 
Selkirk  of  those 

and  the  count 
during  the  sea- 
;o  those  already 
Bached  Dawson 
[like  district  up 
Inring  the  sum- 
early  part  of  the 
s  of  frontier  life, 
clerks,  etc.,  who 
liey  had  followed 
ire  and  training 

1  conditions  pre- 
II  g  August,  Sep- 
and  these  found 
ssible  to  secure 

On  October  1 
m  of  whom  were 


living  in  tents,  and  in  the  nature  of  things  many  of  them  will  bo  obliged 
to  so  live  during  the  winter,  as  logs  for  cabins  can  not  be  secured  alter 
the  river  closes. 

liy  the  middle  of  September  it  became  api:)arent  that  a  serious  scarcity 
of  provisions  for  the  winter  was  inevitable,  on  account  of  the  ill  success 
of  the  commercial  companies  in  getting  their  boats  up  the  river.  This 
condition  was  daily  becoming  \vors<\  owing  to  the  fact  that  most  of  the 
people  coming  down  the  river  were  poorly  supplied  with  food,  wliile  a 
great  many  were  landing  in  Dawson  with  barely  oiiougli  to  get  them 
there.  The  steamers  Heah/  and  Wearc,  belonging  to  the  North  Ameri- 
can Transportation  and  Trading  Company,  on  account  of  the  low  water 
had  made  but  two  trijis  each  to  Dawson,  wliile  the  llamUion,  the  now 
boat  upon  which  the  company  had  princi'pally  depended,  had  not  got 
above  Fort  Yukoj.  The  Healy  had  landed  in  Dawson  about  ?>()~)  tons  of 
freight,  while  the  Weave  had  brought  up  about  TiOOtoiiH.  The  boats  of  the 
Alaska  Commercial  Company  had  done  somewhat  better,  the /)(7/ahaving 
made  one  trip  from  Port  Yukon  and  three  from  St.  Michaels,  bringing  up 
about  1,275  tons  of  freight;  the  Alice  h.ad  made  three  trips,  landing  450 
tons,  and  the  Margaret  one  trip,  with  200  tons.  In  all  only  about  2,73t> 
tons  of  freight  had  been  laid  down  in  Dawson  as  tiie  result  of  the  sea- 
son's navigation,  and  as  probably  one-half  of  this  consisted  of  furniture, 
clothing,  hardware,  liquors,  etc.,  the  outlook  for  the  winter  Avas  gloomy 
indeed.  Many  clung  to  the  hope  that  more  boats  would  get  up,  but  on 
September  20  this  hoi)e  was  blasted  by  the  arrival  from  Fort  "Yukon,  in 
a  poling  boat,  of  Capt.  J.  E.  Hansen,  the  assistant  superintendent  of 
the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,  with  the  announcement  that  no  more 
boats  could  get  up  with  cargoes  on  account  of  the  low  water  on  the 
Yukon  Flats.  This  announcement  produced  a  panic,  as  it  was  realized 
that  the  supply  of  food  was  not  sufficient  to  carry  those  already  in  the 
district  through  till  next  June,  while  people  without  supplies  were 
pouring  into  town  from  the  upper  river  by  hundreds.  The  news  reached 
the  gulches  the  next  day,  and  within  twenty-four  hours  most  of  the 
claim  owners  and  miners  came  in  to  ascertain  the  truth  and  learn  whether 
their  orders  at  the  stores  could  be  tilled.  The  Alaska.  Jommercial  Com- 
I)auy  announced  to  the  public  tliat  they  could  till  all  orders  which  had 
been  placed  before  September  1,  with  a  slight  curtailment  in  rttuir  and 
two  or  three  other  items,  but  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  fill  orders 
placed  after  that  date,  and  advised  all  persons  withoul.  supplies  for  the 
winter  to  go  down  the  river  to  Fort  Yukon,  .vliero  Lliey  had  siv  or  seven 
hundred  tons  of  provisions  cached,  The  Noitli  American  TranHporta- 
tiou  and  Trading  Company  assiiml  Mieir  customers  that  Minycinlid  fill 
their  oi-ders,  and  aclvised  the  people  without  supplies  to  remain  in 
Dawson, predicating  theailvice  on  theasHum|ition  Mint  all  iij'  lliclr  lio»ls 
would  get  up.  Subsequent  events  proved  that  l||«  M'1»M?h(i|(Iii(Ivh*  of 
both  companies  were  partially  nilsfciikeu,  Uapliiln  l)iipe|)  \\\  |||ii  H||. 
nouueement  that  more  boiiti)  woilltj  not  arrive  iiiuj  lilljihilll  ||Olll| 
4584— No.  16 4 


lHl» 


.--4'^ 


342 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


Ilia  assumption  that  all  of  his  boats  would,  for  during  the  evening  of 
the  28th  the  Wearc,of  the  North  American  Transportation  and  Trading 
Company's  ileet,  reached  Dawson,  and  in  the  afternoon  of  the  30th  the 
Bella,  belonging  to  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,  arrived,  the 
former  with  125  tons  of  freight  and  the  latter  with  75  tons,  both  having 
lightened  cargo  suflBciently  to  get  over  the  bars  on  the  Yukon  Flats, 
while  no  other  boat  of  either  company  had  got  above  Fort  Yukon  when 
the  river  closed,  October  22. 

The  arrival  of  the  IFmre  was  hailed  with  the  greatest  manifestations 
of  joy  on  the  i)art  of  the  peoi>le,  who  congregated  on  the  river  front  to 
watch  her  progress  as  she  fought  her  way  up  against  the  swift  current 
to  the  landing;  but  when  it  was  learned  that  she  had  only  about  125 
tons  of  freight  aboard  it  was  realized  that  the  situation  had  not  been 
relieved  to  a  sufficient  extent  to  render  an  exodus  from  Dawson 
unnecessary,  and  as  m  \v.y  sS  could  be  accommodated,  about  150  in 
all,  took  passage  on  thv.'  Is  eare,  which  returned  down  the  river  the 
next  day.  On  the  morning  of  the  29th  the  ice  began  to  run  in  the 
Yukon,  and  it  was  evident  that  those  who  proiiosed  to  act  on  the  sug- 
gestion of  Captain  Hansen,  to  go  to  Fort  Yukon,  would  have  to  leave  at 
once,  as  the  river  was  likely  to  close  within  a  week,  and  a  delay  of 
even  two  or  three  d.iys  might  render  the  passage  down  in  small  boats 
extremely  hazardous.  The  Canadian  authorities  fully  agreed  with 
Cai)tain  Hansen  os  to  the  gravity  of  the  situation,  and  early  in  the 
forenoon  of  the  30th  issued  the  following  notice: 

The  undersigned,  officials  of  the  Canadian  Government,  having  care- 
fully looked  over  the  present  distressing  situation  in  regard  to  the 
supply  of  food  for  the  winter,  find  that  the  stock  on  hand  is  not  suffi- 
cient to  meet  the  wants  of  the  people  now  in  the  district,  and  can  see 
only  on<i  way  out  of  the  difficulty,  and  that  is  an  immediate  move  down 
the  river  of  all  those  who  are  now  uusupplied  to  Fort  Yukon,  where 
there  is  a  large  stock  of  provisions.  Within  a  few  days  the  river  will 
be  closed,  and  the  move  must  be  made  now,  if  at  all.  It  is  absolutely 
hazardous  to  build  hopes  upon  the  arrival  of  other  boats.  It  is  almost 
beyond  a  possibility  that  any  more  food  will  come  into  this  district. 
For  those  who  have  not  laid  in  a  winter's  supply  to  remain  here  any 
longer  is  to  court  death  from  starvation,  or  at  least  a  certainty  of  sick- 
ness from  scurvy  and  other  troubles.  Starvation  now  stares  every 
man  in  the  face  who  is  hoping  and  waiting  for  outside  relief.  Little 
effort  and  trivial  cost  will  place  them  all  in  comfort  and  safety  within 
a  few  days  at  Fort  Yukon  or  at  other  points  below,  where  there  are 
now  large  stocks  of  food. 

C.  CONSTANTINE, 

Inspector  Northwestern  jMounted  rolice. 

D.  W.  Davis, 
CoUeotor  of  Customs. 

Fred.  Fawcf.tt, 
Gold  Commissioner. 
September  30, 1897. 

Thiri  notice  caused  many  to  begin  preparations  for  the  Journey  to 
Fort  Yukon,  and  titty  or  seventy-frve  peu  jbtul  embarked  in  small  boats 


OR. 


THE   ALASKAN   ©OLD   PIELI>8. 


343 


the  evening  of 
)n  and  Trading 
of  tlio  30th  the 
y^,  arrived,  the 
IS,  both  having 
B  Yukon  Fhits, 
rt  Yukon  when 

manifestations 
3  river  front  to 
le  swift  current 
only  about  125 
\  had  not  been 

from  Dawson 
[,  about  150  in 
I  the  river  the 
I  to  run  an  the 
act  on  the  sug- 
lavo  to  leave  at 
and  a  delay  of 

in  small  boats 
y  agreed  with 
id  early  in  the 

it,  having  care- 
regard  to  the 
ind  is  not  suffi- 
ct,  and  can  see 
ate  move  down 
Yukon,  where 
I  the  river  will 
It  is  absolutely 
It  is  almost 
;o  this  district, 
jmain  here  any 
rtainty  of  sick- 
iT  stares  every 
relief.  Little 
safety  within 
vhere  there  are 

'ANTINK, 

'untcd  Police. 

AVIS, 

r  of  Customfi. 

iWiJETT, 

Jommissioncr. 


the  joarney  to 
I  ill  small  bouts 


for  that  point  by  3  o'clock  in  the  afterooon,  at  which  hour  the  BeUa 
made  her  appearance  around  the  bond  below  t«>\vu  and  slowlj-  cut  her 
way  through  the  floating  ice  to  the  liuit'aug.  Although  the  Bella 
brought  up  but  seventy-five  tons  of  freight,  the  arrival  of  two  lK>ats 
within  forty-eight  hours  revived  the  hopes  of  uumy  that  other  steamers 
might  reach  Dawson,  and  had  the  effect  <>\'  temporarily  checking  the 
movement  down  the  river. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  30tli  th«  following  uc>4)tv:e  was  posted  through- . 
out  the  town : 

Notice  is  herely  given  that  all  pors«)n8  who  are  not  sufllciently  pi'o- 
vided  with  food  for  the  coming  winter  will  K'  takeu  <»ut  free  of  charge 
on  the  steamer  Bella,  which  will  leave  to  morrow  at  noon.  They  should 
report  at  the  Alaska  Commercial  Coiupaiiy's  store  tomorrow  morning 
at  8  o'clock  and  sign  an  agreement  as  to  their  transportation.  They 
are  advised  to  take  sufficient  food  with  them  to  last  them  to  Ciix  le  City, 
as  no  meals  cau  be  served  on  the  steamer.  Sufficient  supplies  can  be 
obtained  at  Circle  City  to  last  to  Fort  Yukon, 

The  Canadian  authorities  have  arranged  with  the  Alaska  Commer- 
cial Company  to  furnish  free  transportation. 

C.  CONSTANTINE, 

iHspector  Northicestern  Mounted  rolice. 

Dawson,  September  30,  1897. 

Several  meetings  wore  held  during  the  afternoon  and  evening  to 
discuss  the  situation,  at  which  the  authorities,  Captaiu  Hansen,  and 
others  urged  the  necessity  of  as  many  as  could  bo  accommodated  on 
the  Bella  taking  advantage  of  the  opportunity  offered  of  free  transpor- 
tation down  the  river. 

The  next  morning  tlie  fallowing  notices  were  posted  on  the  doors  of 
the  Alaska  Commercial  Coiroany's  store: 

This  store  has  been  appropriated  by  the  Government  for  the  purpose 
of  regulating  the  transportation  of  unprovided  people,  and  is  declared 
closed  for  commercial  purposes  for  the  day. 

C.  Oo^fSTANTlNE. 

Mass  meeting  will  be  held  at  10  a.  m.,  in  front  of  the  Alaska  Com- 
mercial Company's  store,  to  discuss  the  food  situation  at  Dawson  and 
the  departure  of  unprovided  people  on  the  Bella. 

In  pursuance  of  these  notices  the  Canadian  authorities  took  charge 

of  the  store,  and  a  meeting  was  held,  at  which  Captain  Ilansen  again 

i  urged  the  people  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  offered.    After 

[  the  meeting  a  large  nundier  of  men  presented  themselves  at  tlie  store 

and  announced  their  intention  of  talcing  passage  on  the  steamer,  and 

they  were  required  to  sign  the  following  special  agreement: 

Dawson,  Northwest  Tekhitory,  October  1, 1S07. 
The  officials  of  the  (lovernment  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  recog- 
nizing the  gravity  of  the  situation,  have  arranged  to  have  all  persotis 
not  provided  with  lood  for  the  winter  carried  free  of  charge  to  Fort 
Yukon  on  the  steamer  Bella,  on  the  folh^wing  cofulitions:  That  tlie 
steamer  BelUi's  officers  or  owners  are  not  to  be  liold  responsible  ibr  any 
delays  or  possible  nonarrival  at  destination  of  any  jiassengers  or  piop- 
torty  carried}  that  all  persons  accoi)ting  passage  agree  to  cut  wood,  or 


f  1 


344 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


in  any  other  manner  aid  in  fnrthering  »"id  steamer's  voyage,  as  they 
maybe  called  upon  to  do  by  the  captaifA;  that  they  are  to  provide 
themselves  with  food  sunicient  for  the  trip;  that  the  undersigned  spe- 
cially agree  that  if  the  i(!e  runs  so  thick  as  to  endanger  the  steamer 
and  she  goes  into  harbor  between  Dawson,  Northwest  Territory,  and 
Fort  Yukon,  Alaska,  they  will  leave  the  steamer  at  the  request  of  the 
master,  E.  D.  Dixon. 

This  agreement  was  signed  by  160  persons,  to  most  of  .hom  five 
days'  rations  were  sold,  a  few  without  funds  being  furnished  rations 
free  of  cost.  The  Bella  left  Dawson  at  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Octo- 
ber 1, 1897,  and  the  writer  took  passage  on  her  for  Circle  City.  An 
account  of  the  triii  will  be  found  elsewhere.  It  was  subsequently  ascer- 
tained by  actual  count  that  only  120  of  the  160  who  signed  the  agree- 
ment boarded  the  steamer,  and  it  is  a  reasonable  presumption  that  the 
forty  who  remained  in  Dawson  attached  their  signatures  simply  for  the 
purpose  of  securing  five  days'  rations. 

This  section  was  prepared  from  data  secured  in  Davson  previous  to 
October  1,  1897.  From  the  diary  of  a  thoroughly  reliable  man  who 
arrived  in  Circle  City  January  8, 1898,  the  following  extracts  are  taken: 

On  October  4, 1897,  a  boat  containing  six  men  was  caught  in  the 
shore  ice  right  above  town,  and  all  on  board  were  drowned. 

Captain  Uansen  estimates  that  about  500  people  have  gone  down  to 
Fort  Yukon  and  other  points. 

A  meeting  was  held  at  the  Opera  Honse  on  October  9,  at  wliich 
speeches  were  made  urging  men  to  go  down  the  river.  Another  meet- 
ing was  held  the  next  day  in  frontofthe  Alaska  Commercial  Company's 
store  at  which  speeches  were  made  on  the  same  lines,  and  as  a  result 
of  this  meeting  a  scow  was  furnished  and  provisioned  by  the  authorities, 
and  with  20  men  aboard  started  down  the  river  in  charge  of  an  Indian 
pilot.  Cai)tain  Healey  announced  that  his  company  conld  feed  every- 
body, but  that  he  had  been  imposed  upon  by  large  operators  of  mines 
who  had  secured  double  outfits  through  third  parties. 

During  the  first  half  of  October  several  meetings  were  held  by  the 
miners  at  The  Forks  and  a  committee  appointed  to  a.scertain  how  many 
men  were  working  in  the  gulches  at  $1  per  hour.  The  connni  ttee  visited 
every  claim  and  cabin  on  the  main  creeks,  but  failed  to  find  anybody 
who  admitted  that  he  was  working  for  $1.  They  secured  information 
in  regard  to  one  or  two  who  were  working  for  (5(1  per  hour,  and  they 
dragged  one  such  man  out  of  the  hole  witli  a  rope  and  told  him  not  to 
work  any  more  for  $1. 

On  November  8  a  meeting  was  held  in  Dawson  to  protest  against  tho 
new  mining  regulations,  at  which  a  memorial  to  the  Dominion  Govern- 
ment was  i)rei)ared.  A  committee  of  ten  was  appointed,  which  subse- 
quently selected  a  subcommittee  of  three,  to  carry  the  memorial  to 
Ottawa.  The  committee  of  throe  was  provided  with  a  fund  of  $18,0(Mi 
and  left  within  a  few  days  for  the  outside. 

Under  the  operaticm  of  the  new  regulations  a  prospector  is  allowed  to 
locate  200  feet,  100  belonging  to  him  and  100  feet  being  reserved  by  tho 
Government.  The  uncertainty  as  to  the  enforcement  of  the  royalt\ 
clause  makes  it  impossible  to  secure  arjy  information  as  to  tJie  output  of 
the  mines,  as  the  owners  refuse  to  tell  how  much  they  are  produfini;. 
We  have  Jieard  the  last  of  big  paiis  in  the  Klondike  district. 

Captain  Healey  has  paid  $325,000  for  27,  28,  and  29  above  J^iscovery 
on  Bonanza — the  largest  sale  so  far  reported. 


C"Ms 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD    FIELDS. 


345 


as  they 
provide 
gned  spe- 
5  steamer 
tory,  and 
est  of  the 

»hom  five 
d  rations 
3on,  Octo- 
3ity.  Au 
itly  ascer- 
he  agree- 
1  that  the 
)ly  for  the 

revious  to 

niau  who 

ire  taken : 

ht  in  the 

li  down  to 

at  which 
iher  meet- 
3orapany'8 
18  a  result 
iithorities, 
{in  Indian 
eed  every- 
3  of  mines 

ild  by  the 
how  many 
tee  visited 
I  anybody 
iformatiou 
and  they 
lim  not  to 

.gainst  tho 
<n  Govern- 
lich  snbse- 
emorial  to 
of  $18,000 

aUowed  to 
ved  by  tin- 
l)e  royalty 
t?  output  of 
producitii;-. 

Discovery 


Outfits  are  being  sold  as  a  whole  for  $1  and  $1.25  per  pound  and 
many  men  are  going  out  of  .e  country.  Candles  sell  at  from  $40  to 
$75  per  box;  Hour,  $80  to  $150  per  100  pounds;  whisky,  $30  to  $35  per 
gallon;  champagne,  $500  a  case.  One  restaurant  started  November  1, 
charging  $3.50  per  meal;  porterhouse  steak,  $5.  There  is  plenty  of 
meat.  The  meals  consist  of  bacon  and  beans,  corn,  tomatoes,  and  steak, 
with  bread,  butter,  and  coftee.  December  15  three  restaurants  were 
running,  with  prices  as  above.  Dogs  sell  as  high  as  $350  apiece,  and 
$1,700  lias  been  paid  for  a  team  of  five  dogs.  Fare  to  Dyea  by  dog 
team,  from  $500  to  $1,000,  passenger  being  allowed  to  walk,  simply 
having  his  outfit  carried.  Coal  oil  is  quoted  at  $20  per  gallor,  but 
can  not  be  obtained. 

Tiie  large  number  going  out  over  the  trail,  estimated  at  from  300  to 
600,  has  greatly  relieved  the  food  situation.  Supplies  make  their 
appearance  whenever  prices  sufiiciently  attractive  are  offered  for  them, 
say  $13  per  pound,  and  the  speculators  are  reaping  a  rich  harvest. 
There  v  .11  probably  be  no  actual  starvation  in  the  district,  but  a  very 
largo,  proportion  of  the  gold  dust  that  Avas  in  general  circulation  at  the 
beginning  of  the  winter  will  by  spring  be  concentrated  in  the  hands  of 
the  few  who  hold  the  keys  to  the  grub  boxes. 

THE  TRIP  OP  THE  BELLA. 

When  the  Bella  swung  into  the  stream  at  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
of  October  1,  1897,  to  attempt  the  perilous  passage  (o  Fort  Yukon, 
almost  the  entire  remaining  population  of  Dawson  was  congregated  on 
the  river  front  to  watch  her  departure.  Eldorado  and  Bonanza  *'  kings" 
touched  shoulders  with  prominent  business  men;  prosperous  gamt»lers 
and  saloon  keepers,  passive  spectators  of  the  scene,  smiled  (iomplacently 
as  they  congratulated  themselves  on  being  able  to  reimtln  with  tlieir 
'•mints"  during  the  winter,  while  here  and  tliere  in  the  thro/ig  could 
be  seen  a  representative  of  that  unfortunat(!  class  of  women  wliich  our 
more  highly  <'ivilized  and  enlightened  communities  oitn  iilvviiys  produce 
in  ample  numbers  to  supply  the  denniuds  of  every  mining  camp, 
(lazing  on  the  receding  Sft,i  of  faces  It  did  not  reiinire  great  skill  la 
physiognomy  to  reach  tlie  courhision  that  If  tlie  object  of  the  i)ron>ot- 
ers  of  this  moxenteut  \va  >  to  vid  the  town  of  its  tin  horn  gaiulders, 
low-grade  haiK>t*,  and  cache  robbers,  they  liad  so  far  signally  i<.Jed, 
for  these,  soni*^  three  or  four  hundiod  strong,  wen!  still  in  Dawson, 
where  they  will  veinain,  it  is  presumed,  to  pursue  their  devious  vays 
and  fatten  .»u  tKe  spoiln  of  a  lax  moinllty. 

The  w«ath«4r  wast  mw  and  cold,  with  a  piercing  north  wind  blowing, 
and  a  leaden  wintry  sky  huutf  like  a  pall  over  the  landscape  and  em- 
phasized   '        udeness  <»f  the  town. 

Duriu;,  day  the  l>ow  of  the  steamer  had  been  encased  at  the 

water  line  with  an  eighteevN  inch  strip  of  sheet  steel,  lo  protect  the  hull 
aj^aiast  the  jK'tion  of  t\\i\  loo,  whU'h  wtw  r'jnning  in  the  river  so  thick 
iM»4i  l»*vy  that  when  the  largiM  eakoB  Hiruck  the  boat  the  grinding 
tWMiii  »»«ld  W  ht>Hvd  above  the  noise  of  ||ie  muchinery,  aid  the  fono 
«f  «few  impact  janvd  her  tVom  atcm  lo  stel'll.  As  the  Bella  entered  the 
and  tht:  attem\)t  was  made  to  head  her  downstream,  it  whs 


346 


BULLETIN   OP  THE   DEPARTMENT   OP  LABOR. 


found  that  she  would  not  answer  the  helm,  and  she  was  carried  help- 
lessly down  the  river,  stern  fivst,  by  the  five  mile  current.  An  exami- 
nation of  the  rudder  disclosed  that  the  stretcher  had  been  bent  by  the 
ice,  and  steps  were  at  once  taken  to  repair  it.  The  boat  drifted  a  mile 
or  two,  turning  completely  around  once  or  twice  in  that  distance,  when 
the  damaged  rudder  was  repaired  and  the  boat  gotten  under  control. 
She  proceeded  without  further  trouble  to  a  point  about  forty-flve  miles 
below  Dawson  and  eight  miles  above  Forty  Mile,  when  it  was  discovered 
that  the  suction  pipe  of  the  well  which  feeds  the  boiler  was  clogged 
with  anchor  ice,  making  it  impossible  to  supply  the  boiler  with  water, 
and  the  boat  was  run  ashore  at  7  o'clock  and  tied  up  for  the  night. 

The  Bella  is  a  boat  of  150  tons,  built  for  towing  barges,  and  has  no 
accommodation  for  passengers.  There  were  130  people  aboard,  including 
the  crew,  so  the  problem  of  finding  a  place  to  spread  one's  blankets  for 
tlio  night  was  a  difficult  one  for  the  more  diffident  to  solve.  Many 
secured  fairly  comfortable  quarters,  so  far  as  warmth  was  concerned, 
in  the  boiler  and  engine  rooms,  on  the  cord  wood,  and  elsewhere;  others 
spread  their  blankets  on  the  tiwtJles  in  the  mess  room  and  on  the  floor 
of  the  cabin,  while  a  few  were  forced  to  sleep  on  the  open  deck.  Most 
of  the  passengers  were  well  supplied  with  blankets  and  clothing  suitable 
for  the  climate,  but  quite  a  number  were  insufficiently  clad,  especially 
as  regards  footwear,  and  poorly  i)rovided  with  blankets.  For  supiier 
every  man  shifted  for  himself,  drawing  on  his  rations  of  hardtack  and 
bacon,  which  hjid  been  secured  at  Dawson. 

During  the  three-hour  run  from  Dawson  an  occasional  glance  from 
the  deck  revealed  the  lact  that  the  boat  was  passing  some  of  the  most 
picturesque  scenery  on  the  continent,  but  as  it  would  require  a  stoic 
and  a  poet  combined  to  appreciate  scenery,  not  to  speak  of  describing 
it,  under  such  dismal  circumstances,  this  subject  must  be  left  to  abler 
pens  and  to  the  camera.  A  more  profitable  and  absorbing  subject  pre- 
sented itself  in  tlie  cargo  of  living  freight  aboard  the  Bella,  and  the 
long  and  dreary  evening  was  spent  in  studying  human  faces  and  in 
listening  to  the  stories  of  many  of  the  passengers  and  learning  the 
details  of  their  rough  experiences.  By  actual  count  there  were  120 
persons  aboard  who  had  signed  the  transportation  agreement  at  Daw- 
son. A  few  were  of  the  class  of  unfortunates  who  are  constantly 
"moved  on,"  and  to  them  their  present  surroundings  were  worse 
only  in  degree  than  those  to  which  they  had  been  accustomed;  bnt  it 
Avas  apparent  that  to  the  great  majority  it  was  a  hard  and  bitter  trial — 
a  humiliating  denouement  to  what  they  had  fondly  dreamed  would  be 
a  UKtst  successful  venture.  At  best,  they  faced  eight  months  of  enforced 
idleness  in  an  inhospitable  climate,  with  perhaps  no  habitation  better 
tliiiii  a  tent  or  a  mere  shack,  and  an  almost  absolute  oercainty  of  short 
rations.  Tlie  passage  down  the  river  was  considered,  even  by  the  cap 
tain  and  the  crew,  as  extremely  dangerous,  for  if  the  boat  should  be 
caught  in  an  ice  jam  in  midstream,  an  event  imminent  at  every  bend,  slie 
would  be  cut  to  pieces  in  a  few  hours,  witli  tlie  probability  that  but  few 


1 


of  the  pass 
this  great 
Mile  there 
then  tlie  1( 
undertakii 
under  the 
sengers,  u 
r>uitable  c 
exhaustioi 
such  fortit 
remarkabl 
maintainei 
which  was 
of  those  w 
that  112  w 
other  nati 
this  iwU  g 
ligent  obs( 
people  in 
evident  to 
Yal'ry  dm 
enterprise 
Liiey  do  th 
noted  as  t 
ticularly  fn 
Another 
had  signe( 
that  a  pos 
ones  at  ho 
geration  o 
Among  tl 
coiiversati 
profession 
a  wider  an 
three  thoi 
supplies  hi 
a  half  doz 
hoped  to  ( 
interest  oi 
means  for 
l)osition  w 
new  gold  1 
who  had  c 
mining  lit 
been  .an  o 
and  parlia 
7(',  who  b, 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


347 


of  the  passengers  would  get  ashore  alive.  Even  if  she  should  escape 
this  great  danger  and  be  forced  to  go  into  winter  quarters  at  Forty 
Mile  there  would  be  the  long  wait  of  six  weeks  for  the  ice  to  form,  and 
then  the  long  journey  afoot  to  Circle  City,  a  distance  of  240  miles — an 
undertaking  which  but  few  men  are  equipped  by  nature  to  endure 
under  the  most  favorable  conditions,  and  which  to  many  of  the  pas- 
sengers, unaccustomed  as  they  were  to  hardship  and  unprovided  with 
r^uitable  clothing  and  robes,  would  mean  starvation  or  death  from 
exhaustion  and  freezing.  That  the  passengers  on  the  Bella  showed 
such  fortitude,  forbearance,  and  equanimity  under  the  trying  ordeal  is 
remarkable.  The  superb  discipline  which  by  common  consent  was 
maintained  throughout  the  journey  may  be  accounted  for  by  a  (act 
which  was  elicited  the  next  morning  at  Forty  Mile.  In  taking  a  poll 
of  those  who  had  signed  the  transportation  agreement,  it  was  learned 
that  112  were  citizens  of  the  United  States,  while  but  eight  were  of 
other  nationalities — six  Canadians  and  two  Russians.  The  result  of 
this  i^oll  gave  emphasis  to  another  fact,  which  is  apparent  to  the  intel- 
ligent observer  on  the  ground,  and  that  i&  that  fully  75  per  cent  of  the 
people  in  the  Klondike  district  are  American  citizens;  in  fact,  it  is 
e\ident  to  all  who  have  studied  the  movement  of  events  in  the  Yukon 
Yal'ry  during  the  past  five  years  that  if  it  had  not  been  lor  Americtan 
enterprise  the  Klondike  and  its  tributaries,  instead  of  attracting  as 
Li»ey  do  the  attention  of  the  world,  would  be  now,  as  in  the  past,  chieliy 
noted  as  the  spawning  ground  of  the  salmon  and  the  haunt  of  a  par- 
ticularly ferocious  species  of  bear. 

Another  signiflcant  fact  elicited  by  careful  inquiry  was  that  many 
had  signed  fictitious  names  to  the  transportation  agreement,  fearing 
that  a  possible  publication  of  the  names  might  reveal  to  their  loved 
ones  at  home  their  unhappy  predicament  and  perhaps,  through  exag- 
geration of  the  situation,  cause  needless  anxiety  as  to  their  condition. 
Among  those  conversed  with  were  three  physicians,  who  by  their 
conversation  and  their  diplomas  showed  that  they  were  skilled  in  their 
profession,  one  having  given  up  a  growing  jiracticc  in  Chicago  to  seek 
a  wider  and  more  profitable  field  on  the  Klondike;  a  watchmaker,  with 
Ithree  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  fine  watches,  etc.,  which  the  lack  of 
[supplies  had  prevented  him  from  disposing  of  to  advantage  in  Dawson; 
la  half  dozen  farmers  from  Iowa,  Nebraska,  and  other  States,  who  had 
[hoped  to  obtain  here  enough  gold  to  enable  them  to  pay  at  least  the 
linterest  on  their  mortgages,  which  had  been  increased  to  secure  the 
means  for  this  venture;  a  bank  clerk  from  Boston,  who  had  left  a  $2,000 
'position  with  the  intention  of  going  into  business  for  himself  in  the 
new  gold  fields;  three  or  four  lawyers,  from  as  many  different  cities, 
who  had  come  hero  with  the  view  of  building  up  a  lucrative  practice  in 
I  mining  litigation,  but  whose  only  practice  up  to  the  present  time  had 
been  an  occasional  exhibition  of  their  knowledge  of  the  rules  of  order 
and  parliamentary  procedure  at  miners' meetings;  a  feeble  old  man  of 
7(r,  who  by  appealing  to  numerous  friends  and  relatives  had  managed 


f 


£ 


348  BULLETIN   OP   THE   DEPARTMENT   OF   LABOK. 

to  Bcraiie  together  $500  to  mvest  in  this  last  chance,  and  who  epitomized 
his  grievous  condition  by  saying,  "  I  wonld  rather  starve  or  freeze  to 
death  here  among  strangers  than  to  die  of  humiliation  and  a  broken 
heart  at  home."  These  and  many  others  told  their  tales  of  struggle 
and  hardship  and  shattered  hopes — all  pervaded  by  a  pathos  that 
brought  the  heart  to  the  throat  and  was  far  too  intense  for  tears — and 
would  not  be  comforted. 

At  0  o'clock  the  next  morning  the  boat  got  under  way,  and  about 
two  miles  above  Forty  Mile  began  to  "drift"  again,  her  rudder  having 
been  badly  injured  by  the  ice.  By  this  time  the  volume  of  ice  had 
increased  to  such  a  degree  that  it  was  absolutely  necessary,  in  order 
to  escape  destruction,  to  make  a  landing,  preferably  in  the  mouth  of 
Forty  Mile  Creek,  which  it  was  exceedingly  difficult  to  do  without  a 
rudder.  Fortunately,  as  the  steamer  approached  the  mouth  of  the 
creek  her  bow  swung  round,  quartering  upstream,  and  as  she  came 
opposite  the  mouth  the  engines  were  started,  and  a  landing  made  on 
the  lower  side  of  the  point  formed  by  the  south  bank  of  Forty  Mile 
Creek  and  the  Yukon,  wliere  the  boat  was  protected  from  the  running 
ice  in  the  river  and  for  the  time  being  safe.  The  captain  announced 
to  the  passengers  that  as  long  as  the  ice  ran  so  heavily  it  would  be 
impossible  to  proceed,  and  that  it  would  probably  be  two  or  three  days 
before  it  would  be  safe  to  continue  the  Journey.  As  there  were  only 
four  days'  rations  aboard,  a  meeting  was  held  to  devise  means  of 
securing  more  provisions.  This  meeting  was  conducted  in  an  orderly 
manner.  The  agent  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  at  Forty 
Mile,  who  had  been  a  passenger  on  the  Bella  from  Dawson,  stated  that  he 
could  furnish  some  flour,  but  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  supply 
anything  else.  As  the  result  of  the  meeting  a  committee  of  three  was 
appointed  to  visit  the  store  of  the  North  American  Transportation  and 
Trading  Company,  at  Fort  Cudahy,  just  across  the  creek  from  Forty 
Mile,  and  ascertain  whether  any  provisions  could  be  obtained  there. 
The  agent  of  the  company  informed  the  committee  that  he  could  supply 
enough  provisions,  with  the  exception  of  flour,  to  last  the  passengers 
ten  days,  the  agent  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  agreeing  to 
furnish  twenty  sacks  of  flour.  As  a  result  of  this  conference  the  fol- 
lowing bill  of  goods  was  purchased  and  taken  aboard  the  steamer: 

360  pounds  of  beans $43.20 

100  pounds  of  rice 25.00 

200  pounds  of  dried  fruit  (apples,  peaches,  and  prunes) 60. 00 

2(X)  pounds  of  granulated  sugar 75. 00 

50  pounds  of  coffee 37.50 

20  pounds  of  tea 25.00 

18  cans  of  baking  powder 18. 00 

20  pounds  of  salt 3.  00 

100  pounds  of  bacon 40. 00 

1  case  of  lard 18.00 

20  sacks  of  flour 120.00 

Total 464.70 


These  g 
tioned  pr( 
aboard  at 
referred  1 
means,  wl 
sacks  as 
being  pro 
There  we 
were  well 
sold  his  H 
dust.  TL 
steamer  tl 
dike  disti 
a  ruse  to 
have  suffl 
year,  thus 
that  so  m 
amply  abl 
to  leave 
eflfectuall; 

A  stew! 
cooks  anc 
in  the  gn 
dinner  at 
ex1iausti\ 
situation 

The  agi 
the  steam 
of  the  coi 
ceived  th 
I  was  unat 
City.  A 
after  som 
1  that  the  i 

On  the 
lisfled  pas 
jcaptain  o: 
[that  the  : 
[the  boat 
' accepted 

From  C 
to  22  deg 
27  degres 
thicker  a 
became  w 
announce 


ipitotni/ed 
'  freeze  to 
a  broken 
f  struggle 
bthos  that 
ears — and 

md  about 
[er  having 
)f  ice  had 
^,  in  order 
mouth  of, 
without  a 
ith  of  the 
she  came 
g  made  on 
i'orty  Mile 
e  running 
lunounced 
1;  would  be 
three  days 
were  only 
means  of 
an  orderly 
at  Forty 
;ed  that  he 
1  to  supply 
three  was 
tation  and 
:'om  Forty 
tied  there, 
lid  supply 
uissengers 
greeing  to 
ce  the  fol- 
iamer : 

$43.20 

25.00 

60.00 

75.00 

37.50 

25. 00 

18.00 

3.00 

40.00 

18.00 

120.00 

464.70 


THE   A:-A8KAN    gold    FIELDS. 


849 


These  goods  were  paid  for  by  the  passengers,  the  amount  being  appor- 
tioned pro  rata.  For  the  i)urpose  of  ascertaining  the  number  of  people 
aboard  and  their  financial  ability  to  stand  an  assessment,  the  poll  above 
referred  to  was  taken,  and  it  was  learned  that  nine  were  without 
means,  while  the  others,  as  determined  by  a  casual  observation  of  their 
sacks  as  they  made  payment,  had  from  ^20  to  $1,000  apiecie,  there 
bemg  probably  $35,000  or  $40,000  in  gold  dust  among  the  passengers. 
There  were  quite  a  number  of  old-timers  aboard,  nearly  all  of  whom 
were  well  supplied  with  dust,  there  being  one  man  aboard  who  had 
sold  his  mine  on  Bonanza  for  $30,000  and  had  with  him  $10,000  in  gold 
dust.  The  charge  had  been  freely  made  in  Dawson  and  on  board  the 
steamer  that  there  was  an  "invisible"  supply  of  provisitms  in  the  Klon- 
dike district,  and  that  the  movement  to  send  people  to  Fort  Yukon  was 
a  ruse  to  get  them  away  from  Dawson  so  that  the  mine  workers  would 
have  sufBcient  supplies  to  run  the  mines  until  freezing-up  time  next 
year,  thus  avoiding  the  great  expense  of  summer  packing.  The  fact 
that  so  many  old  residents,  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  situation  and 
amply  able  to  purchase  supplies,  even  at  speculative  i)rices,  were  forced 
to  leave  Dawson  to  secure  provisions  for  the  winter,  would  seem 
effectually  to  dispose  of  this  charge. 

A  steward  was  selected  by  the  passengers,  with  a  volunteer  corps  of 
cooks  and  waiters,  and  messes  of  thirty  formed.  The  cooking  was  done 
in  the  galley,  and  two  meals  a  day  were  served — breakfast  at  8  and 
dinner  at  5.  As  the  items  in  the  bill  will  indicate,  the  menu  was  not 
exliaustive,  but  there  was  plenty  for  all,  and  everybody  accepted  the 
situation  with  the  best  possible  good  nature. 

The  agent  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  had  brought  down  on 
the  steamer  from  Dawson  a  ton  or  so  of  provisions  for  the  subsistence 
of  the  company's  mess  at  Forty  Mile,  and  some  of  the  i^assengers  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  confiscating  these  goods  for  use,  in  case  the  boat 
was  unable  to  proceed,  during  the  long  journey  on  the  ice  to  Circle 
City.  A  meeting  was  held  on  October  3  to  consider  the  matter,  and 
after  some  discussion  a  vote  was  taken  on  the  question,  with  the  result 
that  the  agent  was  allowed  to  remove  his  goods. 

On  the  same  day  there  was  a  movement  on  the  part  of  a  few  dissat- 
isfied passengers  to  force  the  captain  to  proceed  down  the  river.  The 
captain  explained  the  dififlculties  of  running  the  boat  in  the  ice,  stating 
that  the  rudder  and  the  wheel  would  inevitably  be  cut  to  pieces  and 
the  boat  rendered  helpless  in  midstream.  This  explanation  was 
accepted  as  final,  and  no  further  actiou  was  taken  in  the  matter. 

From  October  4  to  7  the  temperature  ranged  from  6  deg-rees  below 
to  22  degrees  above  zero  in  the  morning,  rising  to  from  12  degrees  to 
27  degress  above  during  the  day,  and  the  ice  continued  to  run,  getting 
thicker  and  harder  from  day  to  day  until  the  8th,  when  the  weather 
became  warmer  and  the  ice  tliinned  out  considerably.  The  captain 
announced  to  the  passengers  that  evening  that  if  the  condition  of  the 


360 


BULLETIN   OP  THE   DEPARTMENT   OP   LABOB. 


ice  continued  to  improve  lie  would  make  an  attempt  to  start  for  Oirclo 
City  the  next  day. 

At  8  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  0th  the  temperature  was  25 
degrees  above  zero,  and  the  river  had  become  so  nearly  clear  of  ice 
that  the  captain  decided  to  proceed  on  the  journey.  While  the  Bella 
lay  in  the  mouth  of  Forty  Mile  Creek  the  ice  had  formed  around  her  to 
a  thickness  of  six  inches,  and  extended  to  the  running  water  in  the 
Yukon,  a  distance  of  about  100  feet  from  the  stern  of  the  boat.  Sev- 
eral hours  were  si)ent  in  cutting  a  channel  about  forty  feet  wide 
through  this  ice  to  the  running  water,  the  released  ice  floating  into  the 
river  in  immense  cakes,  one  of  whicli  was  perhaps  thirty  feet  square. 
In  the  meantime  another  small  supply  of  provisions  had  been  secured 
from  the  companies,  consisting  of  five  sacks  of  flour,  100  pounds  of 
dried  fruit,  and  200  pounds  of  beans.  It  was  calculated  that  this 
addition  to  the  commissary  would  enable  the  passengers  to  stand  a 
siege  of  five  or  six  days'  duration.  At  1  o'clock  p.  m.  the  line  was  cast 
off,  and  the  Bella  was  soon  in  midstream,  again  battling  with  the  ice. 
Her  bow  had  scarcely  swung  downstream  when  her  rudder  for  the 
third  time  became  useless,  and  the  same  old  performance  of  drifting 
at  the  mercy  of  tlio  current  was  repeated.  After  floating  thus  for  a 
mile  the  rudder  was  repaired,  and  the  boat  proceeded  for  au  hour  or 
so  without  further  trouble. 

At  2.10  p.  m.,  as  the  boat  approached  a  bend  in  the  river,  an  immense 
ice  jam  was  encountered,  the  ice  in  many  places  being  piled  to  a  height 
of  ten  or  fifteen  feet  and  apparently  extending  clear  across  the  river. 
It  seemed  impossible  for  the  boat  to  get  tLrough,  and  she  was  tied  up 
to  the  bank  and  the  Indian  pilots  sent  ahead  to  inspect  the  jam.  After 
a  walk  of  a  mile  down  the  bank  they  returned  and  reported  that  the 
channel  was  open.  Advantage  was  taken  of  the  stop  to  put  the  rudder 
in  good  condition,  and  at  3.10  the  boat  renewed  her  journey,  reaching 
the  wood  yard,  twenty-three  miles  below  Forty  Mile,  at  5  o'clock,  where 
a  supply  of  wood  was  taken  on  and  the  boat  remained  for  the  night. 

The  next  morning  (Sunday)  at  6  o'clock  the  steamer  proceeded  on 
her  way.  The  mouth  of  Boundary  Creek,  thirty-five  miles  below  Forty 
Mile,  was  passed  at  8  o'clock.  At  this  point  the  boundary  line  between 
American  and  British  territory  crosses  the  Yukon,  intersecting  the 
river  at  nearly  a  right  angle.  The  line  is  distinctly  marked  by  a  strip 
cut  through  the  timber  from  the  river  bank  to  the  summit  of  the 
mountain  on  either  side.  At  10.30  the  rudder  again  became  unman- 
ageable, and  in  spito  of  all  the  pilots  could  do  the  boat  ran  her  nose 
into  the  bank;  but  no  damage  was  done,  and  she  got  off  into  deep 
water  almost  immediately.  At  1.40  we  passed  two  men  in  a  small 
boat,  fighting  their  way  through  the  ice,  on  the  way  to  Fort  Yukon, 
and  at  2  we  passed  two  more  men  who  had  adopted  the  same  means  of 
getting  to  the  food  supply. 

At  3.25  p.  m.,  at  a  point  about  sixty-five  miles  above  Circle  City,  the 
boat  ran  on  a  sandbar  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  with  200  yards  of 


Bwif*;  wat( 
broadside 
which  tim 
hour  and 
hull.  Th( 
up  on  the 
visible  ab 
twenty  fe< 

This  ac 
unreliabili 
not  good 
house  all  ( 
the  pilots 
utes,  and 
dent  occui 
a  channel 
water  in 
with  the  r 
left-hand  < 
to  run  the 
the  natun 

The  ere 
This  open 
twelve  in( 
the  bow,  a 
rope  to  th 
ing  the  b 
far  as  the 
and  the  o 


capstan 
and  thro 
process, 
the  great 
of  the  be 
sooner  b 
would  br 
current  1 
I  looks  W€ 

>the  span 
it  was  nc 
one,  a  ve 
river.  A 
been  set 
to  be  brc 
liavin 


thou  "lit 


Olrclo 


vas  25 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


351 


swif^  water  full  of  rnnniii}^;  ice  on  either  liaiul.  She  swung  nrouiul 
broadside  to  tlio  bar  aud  stuck  there  for  forty-niue  hours,  during  all  of 
which  time  the  ice  was  coming  downstream  at  a  speed  of  hvo  miles  nu 
hour  and  pounding  with  terrific  force  against  the  upper  side  of  the 
liull.  The  pressure  of  the  current  against  the  boat  pushed  her  liigh 
up  on  the  bar,  forming  a  ridge  of  gravel  at  the  lower  side  that  was 
visible  above  the  surface  of  the  water  amidships  for  a  distance  of 
twenty  feet. 

This  accident  furnished  a  striking  example  of  the  stupidity  and 
unreliability  of  Indian  i)ilot8,  and  proved  conclusively  that  they  are 
not  good  readers  of  water.  The  captain,  who  had  been  in  the  pilot 
house  all  day  anxiously  watching  the  course  of  the  boat  and  assisting 
the  pilots  over  the  bad  bars,  was  forced  toieave  his  station  for  a  few  min- 
utes, and  had  hardly  turned  his  back  on  the  pilot  house  when  the  acci- 
dent occurred.  At  this  point  the  river  is  about  500  yards  wide,  having 
a  channel  on  either  shore,  with  an  expanse  of  comparatively  slack 
water  in  the  center,  which  would  indicate  to  anyone  at  all  familiar 
with  the  river  the  existence  of  a  bar.  The  boat  had  been  following  the 
left-hand  channel,  which  was  broad  and  deep;  but  the  pilot  attempted 
to  run  the  boat  across  tha  head  of  the  bar  into  the  right-hand  channel, 
the  natural  consequence  being  that  she  struck  the  bar,  broadside  on 
The  crew  were  immediately  set  to  work  to  spar  the  vessel  ott"  the  bur. 
This  operation  consists  in  planting  a  spar  (a  twenty- live-foot  spruce  log, 
twelve  inches  in  diameter)  on  the  bed  of  the  river,  at  the  lower  side  of 
[the  bow,  and  rigging  a  block  and  tackle  on  the  upper  end,  attaching  the 
'rope  to  the  capstan,  and  then  by  the  application  of  steam  power  swing- 
itig  the  boat  gradually  upstream.  When  she  has  been  worked  up  as 
far  as  the  first  spar  will  carry  her,  the  other  spar  is  used  in  like  manner, 
and  the  operation  repeated  until  the  bow  is  straight  upstream,  when  the 
engines  are  started  forward  and  a  slight  application  of  power  by  the 
capstan  swings  the  boat  around  so  that  the  current  catches  the  bow 
aud  throws  her  off  into  deep  water.  This  is  an  exceedingly  tedious 
process,  even  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  but  owing  to 
the  great  pressure  exerted  by  the  swift  current  against  the  upper  side 
of  the  boat  it  was  exceptionally  so  in  this  case.  The  bow  would  no 
ooner  be  swung  upstream  twenty  or  thirty  feet  than  a  pulley  hook 
ould  break  or  straighten  out,  and  the  boat  would  be  thrown  by  the 
nrrent  back  to  her  original  position.  During  Monday  several  pulley 
lliooks  were  thus  straightened,  and  at  11  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  one  of 
the  spars  was  broken,  and  as  it  was  impossible  to  work  with  one  spar 
it  was  necessary  to  send  men  ashore  in  a  small  boat  to  secure  a  new 
one,  51  very  dangerous  undertaking  on  account  of  the  condition  of  the 
river.  A  half  day  was  lost  in  this  work,  and  the  new  spar  had  hardly 
been  set  when  the  second  old  one  broke,  and  still  another  new  one  had 
to  be  brought  from  shore.  At  this  stage  night  set  in,  but  little  progress 
havinj^  been  made,  and  the  outlopk  was  very  disheartening.  It  was 
thought  by  many,  even  the  captain  sharing  in  the  opinion,  that  it  would 


i 


■,%. 


,% 


.-k^^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


7 


/ 


o 


{/ 


L^- 


:/. 


^ 


WJ.i 


^ 


fA 


!. 


1.0 


I.I 


AilllllM    lim 
2.2 


16  3 


MO 


12.0 


1.8 


1.25 

1.4 

1.6 

-« 6"     — 

► 

PhotDgmphic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


\ 


«■ 


4^  xA 


\\ 


'% 


V 


le.^'^ 


'C-t^ 


"^ 


n? 


'*b 


33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


\  ': 


^ 


fc-# 


352 


BULLETIN   OF   THE    DEPARTMENT   OP   LABOR. 


be  necessary  to  abandon  the  steamer  and  go  down  tbe  river  on  rafts, 
there  being  but  two  or  three  small  boats  available.  Fortunately  the 
ice  was  decreasing  rapidly,  both  in  volume  and  hardness;  if  it  had 
increased  to  the  quantity  which  was  passing  down  the  river  during  the 
tie  up  at  Forty  Mile,  the  boat  would  undoubtedly  havo  been  cut  to 
pieces.  During  the  afternoon  an  immense  cake  of  ice,  which  was  recog- 
nized by  all  as  that  which  had  been  cut  from  the  channel  at  Forty 
Mile,  was  discovered  approaching  the  boat.  It  just  cleared  the  hull, 
but  struck  the  wheel,  giving  the  boat  a  terrific  jar  and  carrying  away 
one  of  the  blades  of  the  wheel,  and  then  passed  on  without  doing 
further  damage. 

During  Tuesdaj'-  forenoon  considerable  progress  was  made,  the  bow 
having  been  swung  upstreanij-  about  45  degrees  at  12  o'clock.  At  4.30 
in  the  afternoon  the  boat  pointed  straight  upstream,  the  engines  were 
started  and  one  more  pull  on  the  capstan  sent  her  off  into  deep  water, 
where  the  swift  current  caught  her  and  sent  her  on  the  way  to  Circle 
City,  with  a  very  happy  crowd  aboard.  But  the  troubles  were  not  yet 
over,  for  the  steamer  had  gone  onlj'  a  mile  or  two  when  the  suction  pipe 
of  the  well  again  froze  up  and  a  landing  was  made  for  the  night.  At 
10  o'clock  that  night  a  scow  from  Dawson,  in  charge  of  an  Indian  pilot 
8Jid  containing  twenty-one  men,  hove  in  sight  and  tied  up  just  below 
the  steamer.  This  scow  had  left  Dawson  flfty-two  hours  before,  and  by 
traveling  day  and  night  had  made  a  distance  of  240  miles.  The  cap- 
tain offered  to  take  the  passengers  from  the  scow  aboard,  but  after 
hearing  the  story  of  the  Bella's  troubles  they  decided  to  stick  to  the 
scow,  and  proceeded  down  the  river  at  once.  As  afterwards  learned, 
they  traveled  all  night  and  reached  Circle  City  at  10  o'clock  the  next 
morning,  and  thence  passed  on  to  Fort  Yukon 

The  next  morning  the  steamer  got  under  way  at  6  o'clock,  and  at  1 
p.  m.  she  reached  Circle  City,  having  been  thirteen  days  in  making  300 
miles,  and  having  furnished  to  all  her  passengers  enough  experience  in 
navigation  of  the  Yukon  to  thoroughly  satisfy  tho  most  adventurous. 
Here  it  was  ascertained  that  the  river  had  closed  this  side  of  Fort 
Yukon,  and  the  Bella  went  into  winter  quarters  in  a  slough  just  off  the 
upper  end  of  town,  while  most  of  her  passengers  passed  on  to  Fort 
Yukon  in  small  boats,  a  few  remaining  in  Circle  City  for  the  ice  to 
form  before  proceeding  to  that  point. 


FORTY  MILE. 


The  first  discovery  of  gold  in  American  territory  in  the  Yukon  Valley 
was  made  in  188G  at  Franklin  Bar,  on  Forty  Mile  Creek,  thirty-live 
miles  above  its  mouth.  This  creek,  which  is  about  250  miles  lon^, 
received  its  name  from  the  fact  that  it  enters  the  Yukon  forty  milos 
below  old  Fort  Ueliance.  The  first  steamboat  that  came  up  to  Forty 
Mile  post  arrived  there  July  27,  1887,  at  which  time  eiglity-flve  men 
were  at  the  mouth  of  Forty  Mile  Creek,  subsisting  almost  entirely  on 


•  on  rafts, 
lately  the 

if  it  had 
uring  the 
en  cut  to 
vas  recog- 

at  Forty 
.  the  hull, 
ing  away 
out  doing 

3,  the  bow 
,  At  4.30 
jines  were 
jep  water, 
J  to  Circle 
>re  not  yet 
ction  i>ipe 
light.  At 
idian  iiilot 
ust  below 
re,  and  by 
The  cap- 
,  but  after 
tick  to  the 
Is  learned, 
k  the  nexi- 

j,  and  at  1 
laking  300 
perience  in 
veuturi)U8. 
ie  of  Fort 
iust  off  the 
on  to  Fort 
the  ice  to 


kon  Valley 
thirty-livo 
miles  long, 
forty  miles 
ip  to  Forty 
by- five  men 
entirely  on 


1.,, 


^' 


VEST  Territory. 


11 


p 


I    i 


^ 


v\\>II|||///,aUIIIIIIIII'Jv\\^ 

■"iiuwimi(iiiiw\\\\\ 


'  %;/l|iim;«///;||ll\»*' 


^5!?:« 


SCALE 

■ 


.T 


/O 


>i 


iC  MILIS, 


FORTY  MILE  DISTRICT,  SHOWING  BOUNDARY 


DISTRICT,  SHOWING  BOUNDARY  LINE. 


IMI*»""l'l>lll*W«WHWH 


mmimmmmmm»tii9mitnf'**"'^'*""f«f>'  ^"*«**"''^ryy 


^•ttJHlJ 


r 


^m  ^s4u 


/ 


^ 


.N^Hit 


**r    J 


ptlWM<»l|W|i>»iPiUWrt'»«W'l«WW'WWIIIlW 


THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


353 


flsb,  wMch  they  caught  with  uets.  The  mines  produced  between 
$200,000  and  $300,000  the  ilrst  season,  and  in  the  winter  of  l'i87  there 
were  about  115  men  in  the  district.  Forty  Mile  district  has  been  very 
productive,  nearly  every  creek  that  has  been  prospected  i,horoughly 
yielding  gold  in  i)aying  quantities. 

Franklin  Gulch  has  produced  a  great  deal  of  gold  and  is  still  yielding 
ood  returns.    In  1S.S8  about  100  men,  working  on  the  bars,  took  out 
Tom  $2,000  to  $3,000  apiece. 

In  1893  Miller  Creek,  which  has  been  the  best  producer  in  the  dis- 
rict,  yielded  about  $300,000,  a  space  of  ground  30  by  100  feet  having 
)r()dnced  $35,000.  It  has  continued  to  yield  large  returns,  John  Miller 
aving  taken  $55,000  from  his  claim  during  the  season  of  1890.  Tliis 
reek  is  a  tributary  of  Sixty  Mile  Creek,  but  is  in  the  Forty  Mile 
istrict.  During  the  seasons  of  189G  and  1897  quite  a  number  of  men 
ook  out  from  $3,000  to  $8,000  apiece  on  Miller  Creek. 

Glacier  Creek,  so  named  from  the  glacial  formation,  is  a  compara 
ively  rich  creek,  but  great  difficulty  has  been  encountered  in  working 
lie  <;laims  on  account  of  the  ice.    The  creek  bed  is  practically  a  glacier, 
he  water  in  many  places  running  through  solid  blue  ice. 

Walker's  Fork  and  Napoleon  and  Davis  creeks,  all  tributaries  of 
^'oity  Mile  Creek,  have  many  good  claims. 
Chicken  Creek,  which  was  disct)vered  two  years  ago,  and  which  is 
1  American  territory,  is  the  best  creek  in  the  district.  It  enters  Forty 
ilc  Creek  about  150  miles  above  its  mouth.  The  ground  is  rich,  but 
regular,  and  consists  of  both  winter  and  summer  diggings.  The 
aims  on  Chicken  Creek  are  1,320  feet  long,  but  on  all  other  creeks  in 
he  district  claims  are  500  feet  long,  local  mining  regulations  prevailing, 
ifteen  men  are  working  on  the  creek  this  winter  (1897-98). 
At  the  time  of  the  strike  in  the  Klondike  there  were  between  six 
nd  seven  hundred  men  in  the  Forty  Mile  district,  most  of  whom  had 
escrted  the  creeks  and  gone  to  the  new  gold  flelds  by  spring,  there 
eing  now  only  thirty  or  forty  men  working  in  the  district.  There  are 
any  creeks  tliat  can  be  worked  profitably  with  wages  at  $10  a  day. 
hose  claims  which  are  being  worked  at  present  are  operated  on  the 
asis  of  $1.50  per  hour,  as  men  can  not  be  secured  for  less  wages, 
le  cost  of  living  in  the  mines  is  practically  the  same  as  in  the  Klon- 
ike  district,  the  charge  for  summer  freighting  to  the  mines  ranging 
om  40  to  o  cents  a  pound,  acct)rdiiig  to  distance,  and  from  8  to  10 
nts  for  wint-er  packing.  The  trail,  like  all  trails  in  this  country,  is 
idescribably  bad. 

As  is  the  case  throughout  the  mineral  zone,  which  extends  lor  1,000 
ilea  through  the  Yukon  basin,  there  are  many  creeks  in  this  district 
hich  can  not  bo  worked  profitably  under  present  conditions,  but  which 
ill  furnish  employment  to  thousands  of  men  for  a  long  period  of  years 
rhen  improved  transportation  facilities  enable  them  to  p-ocure  supplies 
|t  reasonable  prices.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  North  Fork  of  Forty 
tile  Creek  and  its  tributaries,  all  in  American  territory,  where  there 


i  i 

!  i 


ill 


'I 


.'^ "' 


354 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


are  large  areas  of  placer  ground  that  will  yield  f^om  $7  to  $10  a  day  to 
the  man,  and  which  under  the  application  of  hydraulic  processes  will 
eventually  produce  many  millions.  There  is  also  a  great  deal  of  quartz 
of  a  very  promising  character  on  the  North  Fork.  A  conservative 
estimate  of  the  output  of  Forty  Mile  district  to  date  places  it  at 
$3,000,000. 

The  town  of  Forty  Mile  occupies  a  level  tract  of  land  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Yukon  and  the  south  bank  of  Forty  Mile  Creek,  and  faccH 
both  streams  for  a  distance  of  half  a  mile  or  so.  The  site  is  a  most 
eligible  one,  having  perfect  drainage,  tlie  only  drawback  being  that  at 
the  highest  stages  of  water  it  is  liable  to  overflow  in  places  to  a  depth 
of  a  foot  or  more.  The  town  contains  about  200  cabins  and  twenty  or 
thirty  larger  buildings,  a  few  of  which  are  two  stories  in  height.  The 
store  and  warehouses  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  are  the 
principal  buildings  in  the  place,  and  the  company  has  a  large  and  com- 
fortable twostory  house,  used  as  living  quarters  by  their  emi)loyees. 
In  the  fall  of  1896  the  town  had  a  population  of  about  500,  but  by 
spring  nearly  all  had  gone  to  the  Klondike,  and  the  white  population 
at  the  present  time  does  not  exceed  twenty-five  or  thirty. 

A  mile  above  the  town  is  situated  the  mission  of  the  Church  of 
England,  in  charge  of  Bishop  William  Bompas,  who  established  the 
present  mission  in  1892.  Previous  to  his  arrival  here  the  bishop  was 
engaged  for  over  twenty  years  in  missionary  work  among  the  Indians 
on  Mackenzie  River.  He  has  a  corps  of  assistants,  and  is  doing  good 
work  among  the  native  and  half-breed  children,  having  a  school  with 
ten  or  fifteen  scholars  in  daily  attendance. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  Forty  Mile  Creek,  facing  the  Yukon,  is 
located  Fort  Constantine,  the  headquarters  of  the  Northwest  mounted 
police,  which  was  established  in  1895.  The  post  at  the  present  writing 
is  garrisoned  by  about  twenty  members  of  the  force.  The  barracks 
consist  of  a  half  dozen  substantial  buildings,  forming  a  hollow  square, 
and  are  surrounded  by  a  high  stockade. 

A  quarter  of  a  mile  farther  north,  fronting  on  the  Yukon,  is  Fort 
Cudahy,  the  headquarters  for  this  section  of  the  North  American 
Transportation  and  Trading  Company.  The  buildings  are  the  largest 
and  finest  on  the  river,  with  the  exception  of  the  new  establishments 
of  the  two  commercial  companies  at  Dawson. 

Both  companies  have  very  meager  stocks  of  goods  at  Forty  Mile, 
having  been  unable  to  furnish  their  regular  customers  with  full  outfits 
for  the  winter,  many  being  forced  to  go  down  the  river  for  provisions. 
This  is  no  new  state  of  aflairs  here,  there  having  been  a  shortage  of 
supplies,  more  or  less  serious,  every  year  since  the  settlement  of  the 
district.  In  1889  ninety-two  men  were  forced  to  leave  Forty  Mile  for 
the  winter  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  provisions,  taking  passage 
October  10  on  the  steamer  New  Backet  (now  known  as  the  Pelly  and  in 
retirement  at  Fort  Selkirk)  for  various  points  below.  Some  stopped  at 
Bampart  City  and  others  at  Nulato,  while  the  majority  went  all  the 


IL 


IMI 


iABOR. 

$7  to  $10  a  day  to 
Lilic  processes  will 
reat  deal  of  quartz 
A  conservative 
date  idaces  it  at 

land  on  the  west 
e  Creek,  and  faces 
'he  site  is  a  most 
)ack  being  that  at 

places  to  a  depth 
•ins  and  twenty  or 
es  in  height.  The 
Company  are  the 
s  a  large  and  com- 
y  their  emi)loyees. 
about  600,  but  by 

white  population 
lirty. 

of  the  Church  of 
10  established  the 
ere  the  bishop  was 
among  the  Indians 
,  and  is  doing  good 
ving  a  school  with 

ing  the  Yukon,  is 
5^orthwest  mounted 
the  present  writing 
'ce.  The  barracks 
ig  a  hollow  square, 

;he  Yukon,  is  Fort 
3  North  American 
ngs  are  the  largest 
lew  establishments 

ods  at  Forty  Mile, 
ers  with  full  outfits 
iver  for  provisions, 
been  a  shortage  of 
)  settlement  of  the 
save  Forty  Mile  for 
18,  taking  passage 
as  the  Pelly  and  in 
.  Some  8topi)cd  at 
jority  went  all  the 


THE   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


355 


'ay  to  St.  Michaels,  spending  the  winter  there  and  returning  on  the 
rst  boat  in  the  spring,  being  obliged  to  sled  sixty  or  eighty  miles  to 
ct  to  the  steamer.  Thirty-iive  men  wintered  on  Forty  Mile  Creek  and 
;s  tributaries.  An  old  pioneer  who  passed  the  winter  there  furnished 
he  following  statement:  "  I  ^eft  the  post  for  Franklin  Gulch  in  the  fall 
ith  fifty  pounds  of  flour.  Some  men  had  from  two  to  three  hundred 
ounds  of  flour,  but  that  was  far  above  the  average,  and  wo  had  to 
tint  ourselves.  The  winter  was  mild,  64  degrees  below  zero  being  the 
)west  temperature  recorded.  The  hunting  was  good,  and  we  had  plen  fcy 
f  moose  and  caribou;  so  thde  was  not  much  suffering.  We  had  no 
ghts,  no  candles,  and  no  oil.  We  were  fortunate  in  having  a  good 
u])ply  of  rutabagas,  grown  at  Forty  Mile  post  during  the  previous 
nnimer.  They  cost  us  10  cents  a  i)ound  there,  and  we  paid  10  cents  a 
ound  to  get  them  up." 

Wages  in  Forty  Mile  are  $10  a  day  for  all  kinds  of  labor.  Before 
he  Klondike  strike  wages  were  $6  a  day  in  town  and  810  in  the  gulches. 
Vood  costs  $24  a  cord,  ready  for  the  stove.  Prices  in  the  stores  range 
bout  the  same  as  at  Dawson,  with  very  few  exceptions. 

The  town  of  Forty  Mile  is  in  Northwest  Territofljr,  but  up  to  1S9G  it 
fas  supposed  by  the  miners  that  all  of  the  principal  creeks  in  the  district 
i-ere  in  Alaska.  In  the  winter  of  IS''  '  "*"  Mr.  William  Ogilvie,  the 
urveyor  for  the  Dominion  Governmeiit,  completed  the  survey  of  the 
(oundary  line  in  this  vicinity,  the  result  of  which  showed  that  many 

'  the  best  creeks  are  in  Northwest  Territory.  The  following  notice, 
ssued  ou  the  completion  of  the  survey,  is  self-explanatory: 

Notice  is  hex'eby  given  that  the  following  gold-bearing  creeks,  or  parts 
f  creeks,  have  been  found  by  astronomical  survey  to  be  within  the 
)()minion  of  Canada,  and  therefore  subject  to  Canadian  jurisdiction 
ud  the  laws  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada: 

Gold  Creek. 

(Ilacier  Creek. 

Miller  Creek. 

All  but  one  mile  of  Bedrock  Creek. 

Moose  Creek. 

First  fork  of  Moose  Creek. 

Twenty-three  miles  of  Forty  Mile  Eiver. 

One  mile  of  the  three  heads  of  Smith  Creek. 

One  mile  of  the  eeveral  heads  of  Canyon  Creek  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Klin  stream. 

About  one  mile  of  Davis  and  Poker  creeks,  branches  of  Walker  Creek. 

The  boundary  line  has  been  plainly  and  unmistakably  marked  by 
niting  through  the  woods  down  to  and  up  from  the  creek  beds  to  the 
illtops,  and  on  the  hilltops  and  other  points  where  stones  were  con- 
(Miient  cairns  of  stone  are  erected,  with  stakes  in  them,  to  mark  that 
ortion  of  the  line. 

Dated  at  Fort  Consiantiue  this  loth  day  of  May,  1S9G. 

C.  CONSTANTINE, 

For  Dominion  Oovernment. 

Mr.  Ogilvie'a  determination  of  the  boundary  line  is  accepted  by  the 
liners  of  the  district  as  final. 


I 


■t' 


p 


[ 


t        ! 


?  t 


856 


BULLETIN   OP   THE   DEPARTMENT   OP   LABOR. 


AMERICAN  CREEK,  SEVENTY  MILE  CREEK,  AND  MINOOK 

CREEK  DISTRICTS. 

In  18!>5  gold  was  discovered  on  American  Creek,  a  tributary  of  Mis- 
sion Creek,  which  enters  the  Yukon  from  the  west  forty-five  miles  below 
Forty  Mile.  American  Creek,  which  is  about  twenty  miles  long,  flows 
into  Mission  Creek  from  the  south  at  a  point  two  miles  above  the 
Yukon,  and  is  in  American  territory.  The  original  discovery  was  made 
about  six  miles  above  the  mouth  and  the  creek  was  located  to  the  forks, 
six  miles  above  Discovery,  (a)  It  was  found  impracticable  to  work 
the  main  creek  on  account  of  the  diflflculty  of  controlling  the  water, 
several  washouts  occurring  during  the  early  summer.  It  was  therefore 
abandoned,  and  both  forks  were  located  for  a  distance  of  four  miles 
above  their  confluence.  The  claims  on  American  Creek  are  1,.'320  feet 
long,  and  during  the  past  season  seven  of  these  were  worked,  almost 
exclusively  by  the  owners,  only  two  or  three  men  being  employed  for 
wages,  which  were  $15  per  day.  The  yield  was  about  $20  a  day  to  the 
man,  and  the  creek  produced  between  $15,000  and  $20,000.  On  the 
main  creek,  from  the  mouth  to  the  canyon,  a  distance  of  four  miles,  the 
ground  is  about  six  feet  deep,  but  above  the  canyon  it  is  shallower, 
running  from  two  to  four  feet.  The  main  creek  for  its  entire  length 
gives  promise  of  proving  very  productive  under  hydraulic  processes. 
On  the  benches  there  are  gravel  banks  200  feet  in  depth,  which  show 
colors  wherever  prospected.  There;  is  an  abundant  supply  of  water 
and  good  grade  and  dump.  American  Creek  gold  is  worth  $18.85  per 
ounce. 

Seventy  Mile  Creek,  which  is  about  150  miles  long,  flows  into  the 
Yukon  from  the  west,  seventy  miles  below  Forty  Mile,  from  which  fact 
it  takes  its  name.  Gold  was  discovered  on  this  creek  in  1887,  at  a 
point  about  thirty-five  miles  from  the  mouth.  During  the  summer  of 
lo88  several  men  took  from  the  bars,  with  rockers,  $50  a  day  apiece. 
Fifteen  men  were  employed  there  last  summer,  and  they  report  good 
results,  probably  averaging  $2,500  apiece  for  the  short  season.  It  is 
very  difficult  to  get  supplies  into  the  Seventy  Mile  diggings  during  the 
summer,  owing  to  numerous'  f<*ils  and  rapids  in  the  creek,  which  make 
it  almost  impossible  to  ascend  it  in  boats  and  necessitate  the  packing 
of  provisions  over  a  bad  trail.  The  miners,  therefore,  sled  their  supplies 
up  during  the  winter.  The  claims  are  1,320  feet  in  length,  and  the 
creek  is  located  for  a  distance  of  five  or  six  miles.  There  are  also  a 
few  locations  ninety  miles  from  the  mouth.  The  creek  and  its  tribu- 
taries have  merely  been  prospected  in  the  most  superficial  manner,  but 
enough  is  known  of  the  locality  to  justify  the  prediction  that  it  will 
eventually  prove,  under  hydraulic  methods,  one  of  the  most  productive 

a  This  Qf>e8  not  agree  with  the  accompanying  map,  l>nt  the  author  who  furnished 
both  map  iun\  text  being  Btill  iu  Alaska  it  is  imposslblo  to  reconcile  the  differences. 
The  map,  however,  in  believed  to  be  correct. 


LABOR. 

Z,  AND  MINOOK 

fi  tributary  of  Mis- 
rty-flve  miles  below 
fcy  miles  long,  flows 

0  miles  above  the 
liscovery  was  made 
located  to  the  forks, 
racticable  to  work 
trolling  the  water, 
r.  It  was  therefore 
tance  of  four  miles 
3reek  are  1,;J20  feet 
'ere  worked,  almost 
being  employed  for 
ut  $20  a  day  to  the 

1  $20,000.  On  the 
!e  of  four  miles,  the 
on  it  is  shallower, 
)r  its  entire  length 
ydraulic  processes, 
depth,  which  show 

nt  supply  of  water 
is  worth  $18.85  per 


long,  flows  into  the 
ile,  from  which  fact 
cjreek  in  1887,  at  a 
ing  the  summer  of 
8,  $50  a  day  apiece 
d  they  report  good 
ihort  season.  It  is 
[liggings  during  the 
1  creek,  which  make 
ssitate  the  packing| 
B,  sled  their  supplies 
in  length,  and  the 
There  are  also  a 
ireek  and  its  triba- 
erflcial  manner,  but 
ediction  that  it  will 
the  most  productive 


>  uutbor  who  furnished 
9oonoile  the  differonoea 


'*%;iitfc""vi//. 


Xb> 


< 

CO 

< 


u 

£ 

I- 

CO 

a 
u 

UJ 

a: 
o 

z 
< 

g 

q: 
111 

Z 
< 


i 


m 


I 


■ 


MINOOK  CREEK  DISTRICT,  ALASKA. 


3  = 


|0 


ii'  ■ 


1:1 


■\m 


^''  ,*,. 


#      4 


«       * 


*    '    ft 


CIRCLE  CITY,  ALASKA, 
(The  three  parts  uuited  form  the  complete  picture.) 


THE    ALASKAN   GOLD    FIELDS. 


357 


districts  on  the  Yukon.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  quartz  on  the  head 
waters,  in  the  zone  which  extends  across  the  divide  from  the  North 
Fork  of  Forty  Mile. 

Minook  Creek,  which  flows  into  the  Yukon  from  the  south  fifty  miles 
above  the  Tanana,  was  discovered  in  1S94.  The  best  ground  in  the 
district,  so  far  as  known,  is  located  on  Hunter  Creek,  wliich  comes  into 
Minook  from  the  east  about  five  miles  above  its  mouth.  Hunter  Creek 
is  located  for  about  fifteen  miles.  Little  Minook  Creek,  flowing  into 
Minook  Creek  a  mile  above  Hunter  Creek,  is  located  for  three  miles.  The 
claims  are  500  feet  long  on  all  creeks  except  Little  INIinook,  where  they 
are  1 ,000  feet.  Very  good  reports  have  been  received  from  th'j  Minook 
district,  but  no  authentic  information  is  at  hand  as  to  the  value  of  tlie 
prospects.  Some  sales  of  claims  at  prices  as  high  as  $5,000  apiece 
have  been  reported.  A  large  number  of  ijeople  stoi)ped  off  at  Minook 
during  the  past  summer  on  learning  of  the  shortage  of  provisions  at 
upriver  i)oints,  and  many  returned  to  that  place  from  Fort  Yukon. 
There  are  about  500  men  spending  the  winter  there,  and  it  is  probable 
that  by  spring  it  will  be  known  definitely  whether  the  district  is  as 
rich  as  the  rumors  indicate  it  to  be. 


VR 


'*. , 


4a 


CIRCLE  CITY  AND  THE  BIRCH  CREEK  DISTRICT. 

Circle  City,  the  most  important  town  in  northern  Alaska,  is  situated 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  Yukon,  about  eighty-five  miles  in  a  direct  line 
from  the  boundary  between  American  and  British  territory,  the  dis- 
tance to  the  boundary  line  by  way  of  the  river  being  205  miles.  The 
Yukon  Flats  stretch  away  to  the  northwestward  400  miles,  having  a 
uniform  width  of  .about  the  same  distance,  and  presenting  an  almost 
unbroken  expanse  of  hills  and  prairies  as  large  as  the  States  "f  Illinois 
and  Indiana.  The  town  is  the  distributing  point  for  supplies  for  the 
Birch  Creek  mines,  the  richest  and  most  extensive  placer  diggings  in 
■^  Alaska.  It  is  the  best  built  town  on  the  Yukon,  having  about  300 
comfortable  cabins  and  quite  a  number  of  two-story  buildings. 

The  Alaska  Commercial  Company  has  a  large  establishment  here, 
4  \  't^  consisting  of  a  store  building  two  stories  in  height,  30  by  52  feet,  con- 
structed of  logs;  two  warehouses,  one  30  by  100  and  the  other  50  by  100 
feet,  both  being  built  of  corrugated  iron,  and  a  log  dwelling  house. 

The  North  American  Transportation  and  Trart'ng  Company,  which 
located  here  in  1805,  also  has  line  buildings,  the  store  being  a  sawn-log 
sti'ucture  22  by  70  feet.  Three  warehouses  are  owned  by  the  com- 
pany, one  24  by  70  feet,  built  of  rough  lumber,  and  tlie  other  two  30 
by  72  feet  each,  constructed  of  corrugated  iron.  One  of  the  latter  is  still 
without  a  roof,  tlie  carpenters  having  deserted  the  work  in  the  latter 
part  of  September,  1  0,  to  go  to  the  Klondike.  Their  dwelling  house, 
the  best  building  used  for  the  purpose  on  the  Yukon,  is  a  structure  of 
sawn  logs  30  by  40  feet  and  two  atories  in  height,  costing  about  $7,000. 
4584— No.  16 6 


II 


358 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


There  is  a  log  schoolhouse,  24  by  32  feet,  which  was  built  iu  189G  by  the 
citizens  through  jnivate  subscription,  at  a  cost  of  $1,G00.  During  the 
winter  of  1895-9G,  before  the  coustraction  of  the  schoolhouse,  a  teacher 
was  employed  by  the  citizens  at  a  salary  of  $100  a  month,  the  school 
being  held  iu  a  rented  building.  Last  winter  school  was  conducted  in 
the  new  building  by  the  Government  school-teacher,  there  being  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  scholars  in  attendance,  four  of  whom  were  white, 
six  or  eight  half-breed,  and  the  remainder  Indian  children.  On  account 
of  the  depopulation  of  the  town,  through  the  stampede  to  the  Klon- 
dike, the  teacher  was  withdrawn  during  the  past  summer,  and  the 
town  is  now  without  a  public  school,  although  there  are  some  twenty 
children  of  school  age  here.  A  number  of  these  are  cared  for  by  the 
Episcopal  Mission,  iu  charge  of  Rev.  J.  L.  Prevost  and  his  wife,  assisted 
by  Miss  Elizabeth  Dean,  deaconess.  This  mission  is  doing  good  work 
among  the  native  and  half-breed  children,  and  the  influence  of  its  mis- 
sionaries is  felt  throughout  the  community.  Religious  services  are 
held  at  the  mission  every  Sun  ..ly  morning,  with  a  fair  attendance. 

Last  spiing  Hon.  John  E.  Crr-ne,  of  Chicago,  was  appointed  United 
States  commissioner  for  the  district  of  Alaska,  and  assigned  to  duty  at 
Circle  City.  He  arrived  here  in  July,  and  qualified  October  2,  1897, 
giving  to  the  community  ics  first  taste  of  judicial  authority. 

In  addition  to  Commissioner  Crane  the  Government  is  represented 
here  by  the  following-named  officials:  Charles  Smith,  deputy  collector 
of  customs;  Charles  I.  Koth,  inspector  of  customs;  Capt.  George  W. 
Dnnn,  deputy  United  States  marshal;  J.  R.  Dodson,  deputy  collector 
of  internal  revenue,  and  L.  N.  MoQuesten,  postmaster.  The  Govern- 
ment buildings  at  Circle  City  are  shown  in  the  illustration. 

The  town  site  of  Circle  City  was  staked  on  June  20, 1894,  by  Robert 
J.  English  and  Barney  Hill,  the  former  from  Forty  Mile  and  the  latter 
from  the  temi)orary  trading  post  of  McQuesten  &  Co.  These  gentle- 
men had  visited  the  Birch  Creek  mines,  and  being  inii)ressed  with  their 
richness  and  extent  decided  to  locate  here,  considering  it  the  most 
eligible  i)oint  from  which  to  distribute  supplies  to  the  mines.  The 
town  was  given  the  name  it  now  bears  under  the  false  impression  that 
it  was  on  the  Arctic  Circle.  As  subsequently  learned,  it  is  about  forty 
miles  south  of  the  circle. 

McQuesten  vt  Co.  had  established  a  trading  iwst  the  previous  sum- 
mer on  the  Yukon,  about  twelve  miles  above  the  present  site  of  the 
town,  and  removed  to  this  point  iu  the  fall  of  1894.  ]\lr.  L.  N.  McQues- 
ten, the  senior  member  of  the  firm,  and  in  charge  of  the  business  here, 
had  so  much  faith  in  the  new  gold  fields  that  ho  gave  credit  to  the 
miners  to  the  extent  of  about  $100,000  during  the  winter  of  1894-95. 
Most  of  the  stock  was  at  Forty  Mile,  and  the  miners  were  obliged  to  go 
to  that  place  for  their  outfits  or  have  them  ft-eighted  down  at  a  cost  of 
$12  a  ton.  Tiie  mines  turned  out  so  well  that  the  firm  collected  practi- 
cally all  of  their  bills  during  the  fail  of  1895.     Mr.  McQuesten,  who  is 


bytbe 
II  g  tbo 
oaclier 
school 
;totl  ill 
g  from 

wbite, 
Lccount 
)  Klon- 
lud  tlie 
twenty 

by  the 
assisted 
)(1  work 
its  mis- 
ices  are 
Qce. 
.  United 

duty  at 

2,  1897, 

resented 
collector 
iorge  W. 
collector 
Govern- 

y  Robert 
;he  latter 
e  gentle- 
vith  their 
the  most 
ics.  The 
jsiou  that 
jout  forty 

ious  sam- 
jite  of  the 
.  McQues- 
ness  here, 
dit  to  the 
,f  1894-95. 
iged  to  go 
bt  a  cost  of 
ted  practi- 
en,  who  is 


< 

03 
< 


o 

u 

-I 
o 


a 

z 


3 


ui 

s 
z 
cc 

> 
o 

O 


( 


<:\ 


JISA 


"-  \i 


...V 


t^ 


^<^  ^-t::,''' 


^ffiiy^^t^,-^ 


1     ■■/;(!«*■  i;!^.,. 


-^/z, 


>!»'    > 


v=a:1 


''A 


''?', 


%\: 


\ 


'"'-. 


>''''''y. 


■-«w:a. 


'-'f 


;,..***"'♦> 


'H^ 


'"S>X. 


L 


.«3j>jyi  ^o  auADS 


miiiiiij»iiimiiti| 


;: 


I 


I 


FLATS 


,t 


y 


,(y 


■  "^      *     *      •    •     *•      iV 


«\\i' 


.^»" 


»"//, 


'"«!,, 


''/.'' 


.«!'//. 


aV. 


\»l' 


...•///. 


xO''.. 


.1''/, 


^ 


FLATS 


'0' 


0 


my:^V 


^ 


k 


Or 


Yukon     Flats 


s 


liiiMil^iri 


..I'"'. 

..I'///. 


-"/;//-' bid  Portale 
c::  • >li/y-  '<' 


^'"''^M^V 


V//J 


Scale  of  IV 


BIRCH  CREEK  DISTRICT,  ALASKA. 


> 

4 

) 

11  i 


\'--\ 


ki-JJlMWkiV^  IW^  t^"??^  " 


THK    ALASKAN    (JOLD    FIELUri. 


359 


.-v 


known  throughout  tho  Y  ikon  Viilloy  as  <'.T}ick"  McQncstcii,  hus  becMi 
in  business  on  tho  YuUcni  .".iiicio  187;{,  iu  which  year  ho  came  over  tlie 
mountains  from  the  Mackenzie  an<l  down  the  Poreui>ine.  He  traded 
witli  tho  Indians  on  the  lower  river  for  some  years  and  then  h)('ated  at 
old  Fort  Kelian<'e,  six  miles  l)elow  Ihe  Klondike,  where  ho  remained 
until  ISSr).  Ill  18S(}  he  established  a  trnding  post  on  Stewart  River, 
and  spent  the  wiuter  of  1880-87  iu  California,  reeeiviiig  while  there 
news  of  the  discovery  of  gold  on  Forty  Mile  Creek  tho  i)revious  sum- 
mer, lie  returned  in  tho  summer  of  1887  and  established  a  trading 
post  at  Forty  Mile,  where  ho  has  continuo<l  in  business  until  the  present 
time.  In  1806  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  assumed  control  of 
the  establishments  at  Forty  Mile  and  here,  Mr.  McCJuesten  retaining 
an  interest  in  tho  business.  Mr.  McQuesten  is  spending  the  present 
winter  in  Califoinia.  He  is  a  native  of  Maine,  and  is  a  typieal  fron- 
tiersman, standing  over  six  feet  in  his  moccasins,  and  being  built  iu 
proportion.  lie  is  beloved  by  the  miners,  and  is  called  by  tliem  the 
"Father  of  the  Yukon."  They  bear  universal  testimony  to  his  large- 
hearted  generosity  and  attribute  the  development  of  the  Yukon  gold 
fields  to  his  farsightedness  and  hift  unRelrtshuess  in  giving  them  credit, 
thus  enabling  them  to  tide  over  bad  seasons. 

Birch  Creek  is  abo  350  miles  long.  The  North  Fork  has  its  source 
in  the  Katzel  Mountai..s,  100  miles  west  of  Circle  City,  flowing  to  the 
southward  some  fifty  miles,  and  then  to  the  eastward  eighty  or  ninety 
miles,  completing  as  Birch  Creek  i)roi)er  an  almost  perfect  semicircle  at 
a  point  eight  miles  west  of  Circle  City,  and  thence  flowing  parallel  with 
tho  Yukon  for  150  miles,  emptying  into  the  latter  stream  thirty  miles 
below  Fort  Yukon.  Tho  South  Fork,  flowing  iu  a  northeasterly  direc- 
tion, unites  Avith  the  North  Fork  sixty  miles  southwest  of  Circle  City. 

Tho  first  discovery  of  gold  by  white  men  in  tho  Birch  Creek  district 
was  made  on  August  10,  1S93,  at  a  point  on  Birch  Creek  a  lew  miles 
west  of  tho  mouth  of  South  Fork,  now  known  as  Pitk-i's  Bar.  Tlio 
discovery  was  made  by  Henry  Lewis,  John  McLeod,  and  Gus  "VViMiums, 
who  had  come  down  from  Forty  Mile  during  the  preceding  montli  with 
a  view  of  prospecting  in  this  locality,  having  learned  that  an  Indian 
named  Pitka  had  taken  out  some  gold  at  the  point  above  niuned  during 
the  summer  of  1892.  Tweuty-flve  or  thirty  men  from  Forty  Mile  fol- 
lowed Lewis  and  his  companions  during  the  fall  of  1893.  During-  the 
spring  of  1891  $10  a  day  to  the  man  was  made  on  Pitka's  Bar.  On 
June  15  of  the  same  year  a  discovery  was  made  on  Mastodon  Creek  by 
Pat.  J.  Kinnaley  and  John  Gregor,  and  on  the  22d  of  that  month  good 
ground  was  found  on  Independence  Creek  by  some  of  the  men  who 
ha<l  come  down  from  Forty  Mile  the  previous  fall.  Tiie  discoveries  on 
INIastodon  and  Independence  were  creek  diggings  and  the  claims  there 
have  proved  very  productive. 

IMastodon  is  tho  best  creek  in  the  district,  having  yielded  more  than 
cue-half  of  the  total  product  of  the  Birch  Creek  mines,  and  will  soon 


i; 


i) 


ill-  iit 


M     :! 


360 


BULLETIN    OF    THE    DEPARTMENT    OF   LABOR. 


become  known  to  the  world  as  one  of  the  richest  placer  gulches  ever 
discovered.  There  are  fifty-uiue  claims  on  the  creek,  but  many  of  them 
are  lying  idle  on  account  of  the  diflficulty  in  getting  miners.  The  out- 
put last  summer  was  $260,000,  eighteen  claims  being  worked,  with  260 
men  employed.  The  period  of  active  mining  operations  was  about  sixty 
days.  The  claims  could  have  been  worked  longer,  but  as  soon  as  the 
miners  accumulated  a  "grub  stake"  they  left  for  the  Klondike  and 
elsewhere  to  prospect.  There  is  an  abundance  of  water  on  the  creek,  it 
never  getting  below  a  sluice  head.  Mastodon  has  been  known  locally 
for  two  or  three  years  to  be  the  best  creek  in  Alaska,  but  until  the  past 
fall  it  had  not  been  thoroughly  enough  prospected  to  warrant  a  positive 
statement  as  to  its  richness  and  extent.  Eight  holes  have  recently 
been  sunk  to  bed  rock  on  Discovery  and  No.  1  above,  which  show  an 
average  of  ten  feet  of  gravel  that  will  run  25  cents  to  the  pan,  as  high 
as  two  ounces  luiving  been  taken  out  of  a  single  pan.  The  pay  streak 
is  1,100  feet  wide,  so  far  as  known,  and  may  be  much  wider.  These 
two  claims  will  run  from  $1,700  to  $4,000  to  the  box  length.  Active 
developments  on  the  claims  above  and  below  Discovery  indicate  that  for 
two  miles  the  pay  streak  runs  from  800  to  1,000  feet  wide  and  that  the 
ground  for  this  entire  distance  will  average  $1,700  to  the  box  length. 
The  prediction  is  here  made,  bfised  on  authentic  informatiop,  that  the 
ten  miles  of  ground  on  Mastodon  and.  Mammoth  (which  are  one  creek 
except  in  designation)  already  prospected  will  eventually  produce  as 
much  gold  as  any  successive  ten  miles  on  Bonanza,  Avhile  the  ten  claims 
on  Mastodon,  from  4  below  to  5  above  Discovery,  inclusive,  will  without 
doubt  prove  as  productive  as  any  ten  claims  on  Eldorado,  taken  in  their 
numerical  order.  Furthermore,  on  account  of  the  even  distribution  of 
the  gold  in  the  Birch  Creek  district,  the  output  here,  extending  over  a 
longer  period  of  time  and  employing  larger  numbers  of  men,  will  be  of 
incalculably  greater  economic  benefit  to  the  community  than  the  more 
phenomenal  production  of  the  creeks  in  the  Klondike  district. 

Independence  Creek  has  twenty-nine  claims,  which  yield  about  an 
ounce  per  day  to  the  man.  The  creek  was  not  worked  extensively 
during  the  past  season,  as  miners  could  not  be  scoured,  only  two  or 
three  claims  being  operated,  with  seven  men  employed,  and  producing 
about  $7,000. 

Mammoth  Creek,  which  is  formed  by  the  junction  of  Mastodon  and 
Independence,  and  empties  into  Crooked  Creek,  is  about  five  miles 
long.  This  creek,  which  was  discovered  in  1894,  has  been  oi)e!ied  in 
three  ditterent  places,  and  paid  $8  to  the  man,  shoveling  in.  It  was 
abandoned  and  relocatecr  for  hydraulic  operations.  Capt.  John  J. 
Ilealey  owns  two  claims  cu  the  creek,  Henry  Lewis  four,  and  Kinnaley 
&  Gregor  seven,  all  of  twenty  acres  each.  There  is  an  ample  supi)ly  of 
water,  with  good  grade  and  dump,  ard  when  hydraulic  machinery  can 
be  procured  the  creek  will  be  a  great  producer. 

Deadwood  Gulch,  located  in  l.si)4,  has  forty-seven  claims,  eiglit  of  j 


BOR. 

cer  gulches  ever 
ut  many  of  them 
liuers.    The  out- 
iv^orked,  with  260 
3  was  about  sixty 
it  as  soon  as  the 
le  Klondike  and 
;r  on  the  creek,  it     | 
en  known  locally 
t)ut  until  the  past 
warrant  a  positive 
es  have  recently 
B,  which  show  an 
>  the  pan,  as  high 
The  pay  streak 
ich  wider.    These 
s;  length.    Active 
y  indicate  that  for 
wide  and  that  the 
0  the  box  length, 
jrmatiop,  that  the 
jich  are  one  creek 
itually  produce  as 
bile  the  ten  claims 
iisive,  will  without 
ado,  taken  in  their 
k^en  distribution  of 
1,  extending  over  a 
of  men,  will  be  of 
ity  than  the  more 
:e  district, 
cli  yield  about  an 
forked  extensively 
usured,  only  two  or 
'Ctt,  and  producing 

u  of  Mastodon  and 
s  about  Ave  nfilea 
las  been  oi)eiied  in 
aveliug  in.  It  was 
8.  Oapt.  John  -K 
four,  and  Kinnaley 
an  ample  supply  of 
lulic  machinery  can 

von  claims,  eight  of 


THE    ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


361 


which  were  worked  during  the  past  summer,  employing  110  men  and 
yieldin,^  about  $100,000.  The  pay  streak  is  about  thirty  feet  wide,  and 
although  somewhat  spotted,  the  ground  is  very  rich. 

Miller  Creek  has  sixty-four  claims,  nine  of  which  were  worked  last 
summer,  producing  $30,000.  Forty  men  were  employed  for  about  sixty 
days  to  secure  this  output. 

Eagle  Creek,  discovered  in  1895,  has  forty-six  claims,  only  four  of 
which  were  worked  during  the  past  summer  on  account  of  the  scarcity 
of  miricrs,  producing  $75,000,  with  seventy-five  men  employed.  All  of 
the  claims  on  this  creek  can  be  worked  profitably  at  the  prevailing  rate 
of  wages.  Owing  to  the  difficulty  of  reaching  Eagle  Creek  with  sup- 
plies, $12  a  day  is  paid  for  hibor  there,  $10  being  the  rate  of  wages  on 
all  of  the  other  creeks  in  the  district. 

Gold  Dust  Creek  has  sixty  claims,  all  of  which  were  abandr  ned  during 
the  Klondike  stampede.  These  were  all  subject  to  relocation  during 
the  past  fall,  and  have  been  restaked. 

Harrison  Creek  is  thirty  miles  long,  and  contains  about  100  locations, 
the  claims  being  1,320  feet  long.  It  has  been  relocate:!,  and  would  have 
been  worked  during  the  past  season  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  stampede. 
There  is  probably  not  a  claim  on  the  creek  that  would  not  yield  $8  to 
the  shovel  under  present  conditions,  and  as  there  is  an  ample  supply  of 
water  and  good  grade  it  will  eventually  produce  many  millions  under 
hydraulic  processes. 

Porcupine  Creek  is  about  the  same  length  as  Harrison,  and  in  1896 
had  quite  a  number  of  claims  1,320  feet  in  Itugth,  having  been  located 
for  hydraulic  purposes.    It  was  abai'doned,  and  is  subject  to  relocation. 

Lower  Coal  Creek,  on  which  a  discovery  was  made  in  1895,  enters  the 
Yukon  from  the  west,  fifty  ii  iles  above  Circle  City,  and  is  about  thirty 
miles  long.  There  were  fifteen  or  twenty  1,320-foot  claims  on  the  creek 
in  1890,  but  they  were  abandoned,  and  are  now  subject  to  relocation. 
There  is  a  fine  vein  of  bitu^ninous  coal  on  this  creek,  three  miles  from 
the  Yukon.  The  coal  burns  well,  producing  a  fine  ash,  entirely  free 
from  clinkers,  being  far  sui>eriv»r  to  the  Puget  Sound  coal  brought  into 
the  country  by  the  transportation  companies. 

The  claims  on  Mammoth,  Harrison,  Porcupine,  and  Lower  TJoal  creeks 
are  3, .{20  feet  in  length,  having  been  located  under  the  United  Htates 
law  for  hyilraulic  purposes,  bat  all  the  otlier  creeks  iii  the  district 
have  claims  of  500  feet,  the  limit  prescribed  by  tlie  local  mining  regu- 
lations. As  the  United  Sta'^es  law  now  pievails  in  the  district,  it  is 
probable  that  henceforth  locations  on  newly  discn^ered  creeks  will  be 
for  the  full  twenty  acres  allowed  under  tl<e  law. 

There  are  a  large  num])er  of  creeks  in  the  Birch  Creek  district  which 
run  from  $G  to  110  per  day  to  the  man,  and  tvhich,  of  course,  cannot 
be  worked  at  the  prevailing  wages  and  under  present  processes,  but 
whicii  can  be  profitably  operated  by  means  of  hydraulic  ai^pliances. 

The  gold  produced  by  the  Eirch  Creek  mines  is  very  coaxse,  many 


«[J 


11 


362 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


nuggeta  running  from  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  to  four  or  live  ounces 
liaviiig  been  secured.  The  quality  of  the  gold  is  better  than  tluit  of 
any  other  district  on  the  Yukon,  with  the  possible  exception  of  Minook, 
running  from  $16  to  $19  per  ounce,  Eagle  Creek  gold  assiiying  up 
to  the  last-named  figure.  The  average  for  the  district  is  about  $17.20 
per  ounce,  while  the  average  for  the  Klondike  falls  below  $10,  Eldorado 
gold,  which  contains  much  silver  and  base  material,  running  but  $15.25. 

The  ground  in  most  of  the  gulches  is  quite  shallow  and  onsily  worked; 
but  on  Mastodon,  Independence,  and  one  or  two  other  creeks  there  are 
also  good  winter  diggings,  and  drifting  is  carried  on  there  actively 
during  the  cold  weather. 

Preacher  Creek,  which  enters  Birch  Creek  about  sixty  mile.  *r  '  » 
Circle  City,  is  150  miles  in  length  and  has  been  prospected  but  l.(,ie. 
Mr.  Wilson,  in  hia  Guide  to  the  Yukon  Gold  Fields,  makes  the  follow- 
ing interesting  statement  relative  to  this  creek :  "The  creek  was  named 
after  a  preacher  who  made  an  exploration  trip  of  some  length  in  search 
of  fossils.  It  is  reported  that  he  found  high  clay  banks  some  seventy 
miles  from  its  mouth.  Tliese  bcinks  were  about  300  feet  high  and  over- 
laid a  layer  of  driftwood  some  200  feet  down.  Much  of  this  driftwood 
was  well  preserved  and  of  much  larger  dimensions  than  a>iy  growth 
in  the  country  at  present,  some  of  the  trees  being  fully  four  feet  in 
diameter..  The  creek  is  constantly  t\ndermining  its  banks,  thus  bring- 
ing down  great  slides  of  clay  and  wood  which  completely  fill  the  creek 
at  times.  This  goes  to  j)rov©  beyond  a  doubt  that  the  great  Yukon 
Flats  were  at  one  tin\e  a  vast  lake,  much  larger  than  any  fresh-water 
lake  existing  to-day." 

Tlie  mines  are  from  forty-five  to  eighty  miles  from  Circle  City,  and 
the  tr.iil,  which  crosses  Rircii  Crer.^k  al)ont  eight  miles  fron\  town ,  thence 
followiixg  that  stream  sunl  Cr<K)ke<l  Creek  to  the  mines,  is  almost  impas- 
sable in  the  summer  time.  The  description  of  the  Bonanza  trail,  given 
ia  the  section  on  the  Klondike,  apples  eiqually  well  to  the  Birch  Creek 
trail,  with  the  addition  of  the  reluctant  admission  that  the  Birch  Croek 
mosquitoes  are  somewhat  larger  and  incalculably  more  numerous  than 
the  Klondike  variety — a  fact  aacrertainsd  by  taking  the  consensus  of 
opinion  of  a  number  of  unfortunates  who  h-we  been  tortured  by  both. 
The  rate  for  Knmmoi  packii»g  to  Mastodon  (sixty-five  miles)  is  40  cents 
iwr  pound,  tho  winter  rate  bi;ing  15  cents.  Dog  teams  make  the  round  ' 
trip  in  five  days,  the  sleds  being  loaded  with  200  pounds  to  the  dog. 
The  winter  tiail  i^^  generally  <»pon  by  tbel5tli  of  October, an<l  sledding 
lasts  until  ab(mt  the  10th  of  May.  Previous  tn  II "  KlorvMlte  stampede 
thirty  or  thirty-five  horses  were  uxed  for  pu'V  in?''  o  fhe,  it\u  » .-,  bnt  they 
were  withdrawn  for  frejghtins  t>etweeu  In^re  an-  l»w,w»i  s  i-  ]  have  not 
since  been  in  use  on  the  Bircli  Cr.»ek  tnnl. 

At  the  time  of  the  Klondike  «tv?ke  there  wa°  &  population  of  about 
l,0O(f  in  Ciirle  City  and  tlio.  Birch  Creek  di>^»iiit  .Mid  ilie  town  was  in 
au  exceedingly  prosj[K?roas  condition.     The  mines  hvul  piodu(;e<l  nearly 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


363 


ounces 

that  of 
Minook, 
yiiig  up 
t  $17.20 
Eldorado 
b  $15.25. 
worked ; 
here  are 
actively 

ile.   (r'--i 
(ut  L.  Je. 
ic  follow- 
is  named 
iu  search 
5  seventy 
\nd  over- 
Iriftwood 
y  growth 
ir  feet  iu 
iu8  bring- 
the  creek 
at  Yvikon 
esh-water 

City,  and 
rn, thenco 
)j)t  inipas- 
•ail,  given 
rch  Creek 
n'h  Creek 
rouR  than 
iisensns  of 
I  by  iM.th. 
is  40  cents 
the  round 

0  th(!  d(»g. 

1  sh»dding 
s  stampede 
;•?,  butlhey 
-I  have  not 


111  of  about 
)wn  was  in 
iced  nearly 


$1,500,000  during  the  season  of  1890  and  as  a  consequence  money  was 
plentiful.  AU  lines  of  business  were  doing  well  and  twelve  saloons 
were  in  full  blast.  When  the  news  of  tlie  great  strike  reached  Circle 
City  nearly  everybody  caught  the  Klondilce  fever.  Saloon  keepers 
closed  their  saloons,  gamblers  folded  up  their  lay-outs,  carpenters 
dropped  their  tools  in  the  midst  of  their  work,  and  all  rushed  oiT  to  the 
new  diggings,  many  neglecting  even  to  lock  their  cabin  doors.  During 
the  winter  some  eight  or  nine  hundred  men  took  their  departure  for 
Dawson  and  by  late  spring  there  were  not  more  than  fifty  people, 
mostly  women  and  children,  left  in  the  town.  A  few  went  up  on  the 
last  steamer,  but  the  vast  majority  wore  obliged  to  make  the  journey 
on  the  ice.  As  heretofore  stated,  there  were  about  thirty-live  horses 
in  the  district,  employed  in  packing  to  the  mines,  and  these  were 
jnessed  into  service,  sleds  being  itsed  to  carry  supplies.  Dog  teams 
were  secured  when  obtainable,  the  price  of  dogs  rnuping  from  $100  to 
$200  apiece,  while  some  drew  their  sleds  themselves.  The  distance  of 
300  miles  was  usually  made  in  from  20  to  30  days.  The  rate  for  freight- 
ing from  Circle  City  to  Dawson  during  the  winter  was  $1  per  pound. 

A  number  of  old  Birch  Creek  miners  have  struck  it  rich  on  the  Klon- 
dike, but  nuvny  of  the  unsuccessful  ones  have  returned  to  Ciicle  City, 
and  more  will  follow  during  the  winter,  their  disai)pointment  tempered 
by  an  abiding  faith  in  the  future  of  the  Uirch  Creek  district.  Careful 
inquiry  has  elicited  a  fact  which  is  too  significant  to  bo  omitted  in  this 
co»in"C'.ion.  Of  the  first  half  million  dollars  in  gold  dust  put  in  circu- 
lar--/ti  ';i  the  Klondike  district,  fully  80  i)er  cent  was  carried  there  by 
u  iur-',  ""om  Forty  Mile  and  Circle  City,  by  far  the  larger  proportion 
hi'  ;.  /;  b'-cM  taken  from  this  place  by  successful  Birch  Creek  miners 
iur  :  I V -otnient  in  Klondike  properties.  A  conservative  estin)ate  of  the 
total     Up't  of  the  Birch  Creek  district  places  it  at  $3,500,000. 

As  t'.o  Government  had  never  considered  this  section  of  Alaska  of 
suflicif  at  imi)ortance,  up  to  the  Jiast  summer,  togive  it  a  judicial  ofticer 
to  ad.ninister  the  laws,  the  citizens  were  forced  to  take  tlie  matter  into 
the'/  own  hands.  When  an  infraction  of  the  law  was  committed  a 
nuners'  meeting  was  called  to  try  the  offender.  A  chairman  and  jury 
\ver<:  selected  by  ballot,  the  defendant  being  allowed  to  choose  an 
ittorney  and  to  challenge  for  cause,  and  the  proceedings  were  conducted 
.(•»  nearly  iu  conformity  with  the  rules  of  law  and  evidence  as  the  somo- 

'  (-  limited  court  experience  of  the  participants  would  i>ermit.  Tins 
tc  iiporary  orgiUiization  was  in  no  sen.se  a  vigilance  committeo,  no 
occasion  ever  having  arisen  here  for  the  formation  of  such  a  body. 
There  is  no  town  of  its  size  in  America  that  has  a  better  record  than 
v!ircle  City  as  a  liiw-abiding,  justice-loving  comuuinity.  During  the 
tlirec  years  and  a  half  of  its  existence  there  have  been  but  two  homicides 
committed,  one  of  which  was  deadly  in  selfdel'ense,  and  there  luivo 
been  but  two  trials  for  theft.  The  punisiiment  prescribed  for  murder 
M'as  hanging,  and  the  penalty  for  theft  was  immediate  dei)arture  from 


364 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


the  country,  nc^ver  to  return  on  pain  of  death,  tlie  miners  themselves 
furnishing  the  means  of  transportation  and  subsistence  to  the  coast. 
There  have  been  one  or  two  trials  for  infraction  of  the  moral  law,  which 
resulted  in  each  case  in  exact  justice  being  meted  out.  The  citation  of 
one  case  of  this  kind  will  furniish  a  striking  illustration  of  the  eft'ective- 
noss  and  celerity  with  which  a  Circle  City  miners'  meeting  could  repair 
a  wrong  done  to  a  helpless  womfii.  The  plaintiff  charged  the  defendant 
with  sedustion  under  promise  of  marriage.  The  case  was  tried  with  due 
formality,  after  the  exclu  ■  >  f r'^m  the  room,  on  the  motion  of  a  coiisid- 
erate  miner,  of  '^  all  childr jii  -der  age."    At  5  o'clock  in  the  evening 

of  the  second  day  of  tho  trial  ■      jury  brought  in  the  following  verdict : 

We,  the  undersignel  jurors,  in  the  case  of  Alice  Doe,  plaintiff,  and 
liichard  lloo,  defendaat,  find  the  defendant  guilty  as  charged,  and  order 
that  said  defendant  marry  Alice  Doe,  or,  in  failure  to  do  this,  he  be 
fined  $1,500  and  imprisoned  one  year  in  a  prison  in  Circle  City,  and,  in 
case  of  failure  to  i>ay  t  <ie  said  fine,  the  term  of  imprisonment  be  extended 
to  two  years;  and  it  is  further  ordered  that  the  defendant  be  imme- 
diately ]>lace(i  under  irrest  and  placed  in  charge  of  the  bailiff  until  the 
conditions  of  the  verlict  are  complied  with. 

The  meeting  then  adjourned  for  two  hours.  On  the  reassembling  of 
tlie  meeting  at  7.30  the  chairman  stated  that  the  marriage  contract-had 
been  witnessed,  and  that  the  jury  and  all  officers  connected  with  the  case 
were  honorably  discharged,  and  after  the  adoption  of  a  motion  tender- 
ing a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  ladies  of  Circle  City  for  the  support  and 
assiHtance  given  the  plaintiff  during  the  trial,  the  meeting  adjourned. 
When  it  is  considered  that  at  the  time  of  this  meeting  there  was  no  jail 
in  Circle  City,  and  that  if  the  defendant  had  chosen  the  alternative  of 
imprisonment  the  expense  of  providing  a  jail  and  maintaining  the  pris- 
oner lor  two  years  would  have  fallen  on  the  miners  themselves,  not  only 
the  Draconian  justice  of  their  action,  but  their  self-sacrificing  devotion 
to  principle  beconies  apparent. 

The  following  succinct  entry  from  the  records  of  Circle  City  indicates 
how  easy  it  was  for  a  miners'  meeting  to  settle  a  dispute  as  to  the  owner- 
ship of  property : 

Meeting,  September  20,  1896.    St«lla  Wingood  r.  Mr.  Holden. 

Miss  Stella  Wingood  states  that  Mr.  Holden  has  her  clothing  and 
refuses  to  give  it  up.  Chair  appoints  Mr.  Lester  to  bring  Mr.  Holden 
before  the  meeting.  Mr.  Holden  sent  word  that  he  would  not  come. 
Moved  and  seconded  that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to  demand 
Miss  W.'s  clothing  from  Mr.  Holden.  Carried.  Also  that  lady  should 
accompany  the  committee  and  demand  her  clothing.  Carried.  Com- 
mittee reports  that  the  clothing  has  been  returned.    Adjourned. 

During  the  past  summer  a  United  States  commissioner  took  iip  his 
residence  in  Circle  City,  qualifying  in  October,  and  the  miners'  meeting, 
which  all  must  admit  had  its  good  points,  has  given  way  to  formal 
judicial  proceedings. 

The  absence,  prior  to  the  past  summer,  of  any  functionary  qualified 


THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


366 


to  solemnize  a  marriage  contract  caused  some  inconvenience,  but  the 
following  marriage  agreement,  duly  signetl  and  witnessed,  satisfied  all 
concerned : 

Tliis  agreement  of  marriage,  made  and  entered  into  this  3d  day  of 
August,  1896,  by  and  between  Richard  Koe,  of  Circle  City,  Alaska,  and 
Mamie  Doe,  of  the  same  place,  wituesseth :  That  whereas  the  i)artie8 
hereto  are  desirous  of  entering  into  the  marriage  relation  and  there  is 
«  no  offlcer  or  minister  or  other  person  competent  or  authorized  to  solom- 

W  nize  a  marriage  in  Circle  City,  Alaska,  or  in  any  place  accessible  thereto : 

Now,  therefore,  in  consideration  of  the  mutual  promises  of  marriage 
heretofore  made  by  and  between  us  and  each  of  us,  we  do  hereby  Jiuitu- 
ally  and  severally  agree  to  and  do  enter  into  the  marriage  state,  I,  tlie 
said  Eichard  Koe,  hereby  agreeing  to  take  her.  the  said  Mamie  Doe,  as 
my  lawfully  wedded  wife,  and  I,  the  said  Mjimie  Doe,  hereby  agreeing 
to  take  him,  the  said  Richard  Roe,  as  my  lawfully  wedded  husband. 

The  most  important  institution  in  Circle  City  is  the  Miners'  Associa- 
tion. This  is  a  benelicial  organization  of  the  miners  of  the  Bircli  Cr(»ek 
district,  whose  object  is  the  relief  of  members  in  sickness  and  distress. 
The  present  membership  is  225,  but  many  of  the  members  are  absent,  on 
the  Klondike  and  elsewhere.  The  initiation  fee  is  one  ounce  of  goli 
($17),  and  the  dues  are  $1  per  month,  any  extraordinary  expenditure 
being  covered  by  a  subscription.  This  organization  takes  the  lead  iu 
all  works  of  charity.  During  the  latter  part  of  October,  18!t7,  a  large 
number  of  men  coming  from  Dawson  in  small  boats  were  caught  iu  the 
ice  at  various  points  above  here,  and  in  several  cases  had  their  feet 
badly  frozen.  When  such  a  case  was  reported  the  Miners'  Association 
would  immediately  organize  a  relief  party,  hire  a  dog  team  at  $50  a 
day,  and  have  the  unfortunate  man  brought  into  town,  tlie  exi)ense 
being  paid  through  a  subscription.  The  association  has  a  library  of 
about  1,000  volumes  wbich  would  serve  as  a  model,  iu  the  class  of  books 
it  contains,  for  any  community  in  the  country.  All  the  standard  nov- 
elists and  poets  are  represented,  while  the  complete  works  of  Huxley, 
Darwin,  Tyudall,  Carlyle,  Prescott,  Macaulay,  Hume,  ^Motley,  Ruskin, 
Irving,  and  many  others  have  place  on  the  shelves.  Some  of  the  stand- 
ard illustrated  papers  are  kept  on  file,  and  chess  and  checker  boards 
are  at  the  di8i)08al  of  the  members.  A  fine  morocco-bound  (juarto  Bible 
has  the  place  of  honor  on  the  reading  table.  The  seeker  for  scientific 
facts  and  miscellaneous  information  has  access  to  the  Encyclopedia 
Britannica,  while  the  letter  writer  in  quest  of  superlatives  to  describe 
to  his  friends  at  home  his  unique  surroundings  has  at  hand  the  latest 
edition  of  the  International  Dictionary.  The  library  is  largely  drawn 
on  by  tlie  residents  of  the  town,  who  are  permitted  to  withdraw  books 
on  the  payment  of  a  small  fee.  Calling  recently  at  a  cabin  occupied  by 
three  miners,  the  writer  found  one  of  them  reading  Bourrienne's  Napo- 
leon, another  Kinglake's  Invasion  of  the  Crimea,  while  the  third  was 
devouring  Trilby,  dropping  an  emphatic  remark  now  and  then  which 
indicated  that  the  passages  in  French  met  with  his  disapprobation. 


i 


]! 


P'  1 


3fi6 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT   OF  LABOR. 


The  association  is  accomplishing  mucli  good  in  tlie  community  throngU 
the  educational  iniluence  of  its  library  and  tlie  model  conduct  of  its 
members.  As  before  stated,  it  is  purely  p  beneficial  organization  and 
has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  miners"  icetings,  so  called,  except  as 
its  members  jiarticipate  therein  as  individuals. 

About  the  middle  of  September,  1897,  the  situation  in  regard  to  the 
food  supidy  for  the  winter  became  critical,  through  the  announcement 
of  Capt.  J.  E.  Hansen,  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Alaska  Com- 
mercial Company,  while  en  route  from  Fort  Yukon  to  Dawson,  that  no 
more  freight  would  be  left  here  during  the  season,  and  the  statement  of 
the  local  agent  of  the  North  American  Transportation  and  Trading 
Company^  that  while  the  orders  of  their  regular  customers  would  be 
filled  no  surplus  provisions  could  be  lauded  by  their  boats.  The  com- 
panies took  the  position,  in  view  of  the  serious  shortage  of  pi'ovisions 
at  Dawson,  that  it  was  their  duty  to  the  people  there  to  carry  as  much 
fre'.ght  as  possible  to  that  place,  stating  that  the  people  of  Circle  City, 
being  only  eighty-five  miles  from  Fort  Yukon,  where  there  were  ample 
supplies,  could  freight  their  outfits  from  that  point.  The  miners  of  the 
Birch  £h:'eek  district  felt  that  this  proposed  action  of  the  companies 
would  work  a  great  hardship  to  them,  as  it  would  make  it  impossible 
to  begin  work  in  the  mines  until  very  late  in  the  season,  on  account  of 
the  loss  of  time  in  freighting  supplies,  to  say  nothing  of  the  additional 
expense  of  20  or  25  cents  per  pound  involved.  They  were  almost 
entirely  destitute  of  i)rovisions,  the  companies  selling  them  only  enough 
to  last  from  day  to  day.  This  was  the  condition  of  affairs  on  September 
19,  when  a  miners'  meeting  was  held  to  take  action  in  the  matter,  some 
forty  men  being  in  attendance.  At  this  meeting  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  take  a  census  of  the  peoiile  in  town  and  in  the  mines, 
ascertain  the  amount  of  supplies  they  would  require  for  the  winter,  and 
wsiit  upon  the  captain  of  the  next  steamer  on  its  arrival  and  require 
him  to  land  enough  8upi)lies  to  fill  their  orders.  On  the  20th  forty- 
three  men  signed  an  agreement  "to  be  at  the  bank  of  the  river  on 
the  arrival  of  the  first  steamer,  to  receive  orders  from  the  committee 
appointed  to  wait  upon  tlio  captain  of  said  steamer."  The  census  of 
the  i)eople  of  the  district  showed  that  there  were  188  men  witliout 
supplies,  and  a  list  was  made  up  by  the  committee  of  the  amount  of 
provisions  that  would  be  required  to  sustain  them  during  tlie  winter, 
many  of  the  188  persons  in  the  meantime  filing  their  orders  at  the 
stores. 

The  steamer  Weave,  of  the  Korth  American  Transportation  and 
Trading  Company,  arrived  on  the  evening  of  the  21st.  The  committee 
placed  an  armed  guard  on  the  steamer  to  i>rovent  her  departure  during 
the  night,  and  the  next  morning,  with  the  assistance  of  their  snjjport- 
ers,  took  from  the  boat,  against  the  protest  of  the  captain  twenty  tons 
of  food  supplies.  The  Bella,  belonging  to  the  Alaska  Commercial 
Company,  arrived  on  the  25th,  and  the  committee,  assisted  by  the  men 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


367 


rongli 

of  its 

n  and 

ept  as 

to  tbo 

;eineiit 

I  Com- 

tbat  no 

nentof 

Fading 

)uld  be 

10  coiu- 

)visions 

IS  nincb 

lo  City, 

13  ample 

■s  of  tbo 

[Q  panics 

possible 

count  of 

ditional 

almost 

r enougb 

'ptember 

;er,  some 

ttco  was 

0  mines, 
liter,  and 

1  require 
itb  forty- 
river  on 

oinmittee 
[icnsus  of 
I  witbout 
monnt  of 
10  winter, 
rs  at  tbo 

ition  and 
lommitteo 
re  during 
?  snpport- 
'cnty  tons 
immercial 
y  tbo  men 


wlio  bad  i>ledge<l  tbeir  snp]>ort,  took  tbirtyseven  t^)ns  of  ])rovisl(>ns 
from  ber.  A  prominent  miner  -vvbo  was  present  during  the  unloading 
of  tbo  goods  from  the  Be^ln  bas  furnisbed  tbo  following  statement: 
"A  committee  of  five  men  was  api)oJnt<?d  to  wait  on  Captain  Dixon  of 
the  Bella  and  iuforin  bim  of  tbe  situation  bero  witb  reference  to  tbo 
scarcity  of  provisions.  "NVo  had  a  list  of  tbosc  supplies  wbioii  we  con- 
sidered absolutely  necessary  to  carry  us  tbrougb  tbo  winter,  and  we 
ei  emitted  tbat  list  to  bim.  1  believe  tbo  list  called  for  sufficient 
■  liruvisions  for  18S  men,  tbe  number  at  tbat  time  known  to  be  lu  tbo 
district  without  supplies.  Tbe  captain  said  tbat  bis  or<lei'8  wer"  to 
leave  nothing  here,  and  tbat  he  would  leave  nothing— that  if  wo  took 
anything  oif  wo  would  do  it  against  bis  protest.  We  then  stationed 
men  at  various  iwints — one  on  tbe  gang  plauk,  one  in  tbe  store,  and  one 
in  the  warehouse — to  see  tbat  tbe  goods  were  properly  delivered  to 
the  warehouse,  and  our  me-i  went  aboard  the  boat  and  took  off  thirty- 
seven  tons.  I^o  arms  were  used  and  no  force  was  axiplied.  "Wo  simidy 
insisted  on  tbe  comi>any  leaving  enough  i)rovisions  to  fill  our  orders. 
We  did  not  fill  our  list  completely;  but  we  got  i>lenty  of  flour,  baeou, 
butter,  and  evaporated  potatoes."  Capt.  V.  II.  Ray,  U.  S.  A.,  who  was 
a  iwissenger  on  the  Bella,  protested  against  the  action  of  tbe  miners, 
informing  them  tbat  it  was  unlawful.  Thi'ir  spokesman  replied  that 
tiiero  was  no  law  berej  that  the  Govern-nent  bad  failed  to  place  officials 
hero  to  protect  them  in  their  rights,  and  that  they  were  forced  to  take 
the  law  into  their  own  hands  in  seif-protection.  In  both  cases  of  the 
forcible  removal  of  provisions  from  the  steamers  the  miners  requested 
the  agents  of  the  companies  to  check  off  the  goods  as  they  were  placed 
in  the  warehouses,  and  tbe  agents  did  this,  the  goods  being  subse- 
quently sold  to  the  miners,  in  accordance  with  the  orders  Mhich  they 
had  placed  at  t  o  stores,  at  tbe  companies'  prices.  The  effect  of  the 
movement  was  to  compel  the  comi>anie8  to  si; pply  provisions  necessary 
to  subsist  the  miners  during  tbe  winter,  and  there  was  no  confiscation 
of  goods,  as  has  been  state<l  at  Dawson.  An  armed  guard,  furnished 
by  the  miners  themseh  es,  patrolled  the  Bolla,  which  lay  here  all  night, 
to  protect  her  cargo  from  possible  theft  by  lawless  chara<,'ters. 

Early  in  December  a  i>rominent  mine  owner  of  tlio  Birch  Creek  dis- 
trict, who  was  visiting  Circle  City,  was  requested  to  secure  for  use  in 
this  chapter  ac<q>y  of  the  local  mining  laws  of  the  JMastodon  district, 
and  be  promised  to  do  so.  During  holiday  week  tbo  following  letter 
was  received  from  him: 

I  sent  to  the  recorder  of  IMastodon,  as  you  requested,  for  a  copy  of 
its  laws,  and  inclose  herewith  his  reply,  thinking  it  may  amuse  you, 
and  believing  you  have  too  mucli  sense  to  be  offended.  The  writer  is 
an  honest,  sensible,  hard-working  man,  and  highly  esteemed  by  all  who 
know  him,  and  liis  note  is  simply  an  index  of  the  feeling  of  distrust 
Avith  which  old-timei-s,  or  at  least  tbe  greater  ])art  of  tliem,  view  Gov- 
ernment ofVicials,  and  the  innovations  wliich  are  taking  ])laco  in  both 
tbe  mining  and  civil  laws.     The  few  Government  officials  that  Uncle 


iv 


868 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


Sam  has  sent  us  heretofore  have,  it  is  believed,  done  little  good  for  the 
country  or  the  Government,  while  it  is  strongly  suspected  tliat  thry 
have  abused  the  i)owers  of  their  office  by  levying  blackmail  on  the 
commercial  companies,  saloon  keepers,  and  others.  I  do  not  allude  to 
the  present  officials;  they  have  yet  to  prove  themselves. 

It  is  a  pretty  general  sentiment  that  the  Oregon  Code  of  civil  laws 
and  the  United  States  mining  law  are  inadequate  to  our  needs,  as  our 
isolated  position,  short  seasons,  and  severe  climate  differ  from  those  of 
any  other  portion  of  the  United  States.  Our  old  system  of  government, 
by  means  of  miners'  meetings,  was  on  the  whole  very  efficient,  and. 
crime  was  almost  unknown.  Whether  the  present  system  is,  or  is  likely 
to  be,  a  success,  you  have  an  opportunity  to  judge  for  yourself. 

I  inclose  herewith  a  copy  of  the  Miller  Greek  mining  laws. 

The  following  are  the  laws  of  Miller  Greek : 

The  record! '  ,'  fee  for  each  location  and  transfer  of  claims  shall  be 
$2.50. 

Three  hundred  dollars'  wortli  of  work  must  be  done  on  each  claim 
and  in  each  year,  if  said  amc  at  of  work  has  not  been  done  by  the  1st 
of  July  in  each  year,  it  must  be  done  during  that  month,  or  declared 
vacant.  Three  inspectors  shall  be  elected  to  determine  whether  the 
required  amount  of  work  has  been  done  on  each  claim,  and  their  decision 
shall  be  final. 

A  fraction  of  a  claim  shall  do  assessment  work  in  proportion  to  its 
leu  ffth. 

I  o  claim  shall  for  any  cause  be  laid  over  for  a  season. 

]S'o  claim  owner  shall  ground-sluice  stumps  or  sod  onto  the  claim 
below  him. 

Each  claim  holder  is  entitled  to  dump  tailings  for  a  space  of  three 
box  lengths  on  the  claim  below  him. 

The  unwritten  laws  and  customs  of  the  Birch  Greek  district,  as  near 
as  can  be  ascertained,  are  as  follows:  *^ 

A.  claim  consists  of  500  feet  lengthwise  of  a  gulch  and  from  rim  to 
rim  in  width. 

Each  discoverer  of  a  new  gulch  shall  be  entitled  to  an  additional  500 
feet. 

Glaims  shall  be  numbered  above  and  below  Discovery. 

A  claim  owner  is  entitled  to  all  of  the  timber  on  his  claim,  but  all 
timber  above  the  rim  on  the  side  hill  is  free  for  all. 

A  man  is  entitled  to  locate  one  claim  for  himself,  and  for  no  one  ilse, 
on  each  gulch,  and  having  used  his  right  once  on  a  gulch  can  not  do  so 
again. 

Previously  to  recording,  provided  no  vested  interests  are  jeojiardized, 
a  locator  may  cut  his  name  oif  his  stakes  and  relocate  on  the  same 
gulch. 

An  alien  is  entitled  to  the  same  privileges  as  a  citizen  in  locating  and 
working  mining  ground. 

Nothing  in  the  local  mining  laws  shall  be  construed  to  prevent  a 
locator  from  buying  claims. 

The  custom  relative  to  the  rights  of  aliens  originated  in  the  Forty 
Mile  district,  where,  until  recently,  there  was  a  local  dispute  as  to  the 
location  of  the  boundary  line,  the  Ganadians  and  Americans  agreeing, 
for  mutual  protection,  to  the  provision  as  given  jve.  When  the 
Bircb  Greek  mines  were  discovered  many  Ganadians  came  down  in  the 


m  the 


1  laws 


;i 


n 


I- 
5 

-I 
o 


s 
< 

ul 


stampede 
lie  meetli 
Wages 
little  em] 
idle  men 
receive  fr 
paid  to  b( 

Prices  i 
Forty  Mil 
account  < 
ing  betw( 
while  it  i 
special  ca 
(iood  dog 
instances 
ing  been  ( 
ai)2)ears. 
at  that  pr 
high  wine 
gallon.    C 
are  scarct 
the  stores 
Fort  Yuk( 
stores,  bu1 
wood  is  $ 
into  stove 
loads  of  a 
any  price, 
communit 
sity  be  so 
predicte( 

During 
bill  of  far 
50  cents; 
January 

The  Mil 
state  thei: 
on  the  Yu 
the  most 
associatio 
Miners'  A 

1.  Wha 
combiuat 
business 

The  fac 
cent  over 
per  cent. 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


369 


stampede  from  Forty  Mile,  and  their  American  friends  decided  in  pub- 
lic meeting  to  perpetuate  the  custom  here. 

Wages  of  laborers  in  Circle  City  are  $0  per  day,  but  there  is  very 
little  employment  of  any  kind  to  be  had,  and  there  are  probably  100 
idle  men  in  the  town  who  are  anxious  to  work.  Clerks  in  the  stores 
receive  from  $75  to  $125  per  mouth  and  board,  the  latter  salary  being 
paid  to  bookkeepers. 

Prices  in  Circle  City  are  substantially  the  same  as  in  Dawson  and 
Forty  Mile.  Speculative  prices  are  not  as  high  for  many  articles  on 
account  of  proximity  to  the  source  of  supplies,  the  rate  for  freight- 
ing between  Fort  Yukon  and  this  place  being  but  25  cents  per  pound, 
while  it  is  $2  per  pound  from  Fort  Yukon  to  Dawson.  In  some 
special  cases  as  great  prices  have  been  paid  hero  as  on  the  Klondike, 
(lood  dogs  command  from  $150  to  $400  apiece,  and  in  one  or  two 
instances  $500  apiece  has  been  offered  for  very  flue  dogs,  $4,000  hav- 
ing been  offered  and  refused  for  the  eight-dog  team  a  view  of  which 
appears.  Whisky  is  quoted  at  $50  a  gallon,  but  can  not  be  had  even 
at  that  price.  Some  has  recently  sold  for  $20  per  bottle.  Unrectificd 
high  wines,  for  which  there  is  an  active  demand,  command  $30  per 
gallon.  Candles  are  quoted  at  $7.50  per  box  (120)  at  the  stores,  but  they 
are  scarce,  as  high  as  $30  per  box  having  been  paid  for  them  outside 
the  stores.  Flour  costs  $37  per  100  pounds,  the  Circle  City  price  with 
Fort  Yukon  freight  added.  Coal  oil  is  quoted  at  $1  per  gallon  at  the 
stores,  but  commands  $7  per  g.allon  in  the  hands  of  speculators.  Fire- 
wood is  $10  per  cord,  laid  down  at  the  door,  with  $5  added  for  cutting 
into  stove  lc'<  ^ths.  The  dog  team  shown  in  the  illustration  can  haul  two 
loads  of  a  cord  each  jier  day.  While  many  luxuries  are  not  to  bo  had  at 
any  price,  there  ib  an  ample  visible  supply  of  the  stai)les  to  carry  the 
community  through  till  midsummer;  so,  although  there  must  of  neces- 
sity be  some  privation,  there  will  be  no  actual  starvation,  as  was  freely 
predicte*!  three  months  ago  by  many  who  now  admit  they  were  mista'^en. 

During  holiday  week  a  lunch  room  was  opened  in  Circle  City  '  \\:\ 
bill  of  fare  as  follows:  Coffee  and  sandwich,  50  cents;  coffee  and  pie, 
50  cents;  coffee  and  doughnuts,  50  cents;  hot  cakes  and  maple  sirup,  $1. 
January  10  the  proprietor  began  serving  meals;  price,  $1.25. 

The  Miners'  Association  of  Circle  City  having  expressed  a  desire  to 
state  their  grievances  against  the  commercial  companies  doing  business 
on  the  Yukon,  fivequestions  were  prepared,  covering  thopoints  on  which 
the  most  general  complaint  is  heard  on  all  hands,  and  submitted  to  the 
association  for  consideration.  These  questions  and  the  replies  of  the 
Miners'  Assoiiation  thereto  are  as  follows : 

1.  What  reasons  have  you  for  asserting  that  there  exists  an  unlawfiU 
combination  in  the  nature  of  a  trust  between  the  companies  doing 
business  here? 

The  facts  speak  for  themselves.  They  have  raised  the  prices  50  per 
cent  over  last  year's  quotations.  They  themselves  confess  to  a  riseot  20 
per  cent.   The  rise  is  uniform  as  between  the  two  companies,  except  when 


]i  ■ 
1,'* 


370 


IJULLETIN    OV   THE   DEPARTMENT   OF    LAnOR. 


either  is  out  of  an  article,  and  thou  the  other  clinrgeft  wlmtever  price  it 
mayseo  fit.  resides,  we  Imvothoussnraueoof  Mr.  ElyA.  Gage,brotlier- 
in-law  of  the  i^rosideiit  of  tlio  Nortli  American  Trnnsportation  and 
Trading  Company,  that  Mr.  SIoss  and  Mr.  "Weare  liad  a!i  understanding 
in  Washington  as  to  t'uc  policy  of  their  resiHictive  companies,  so  that 
neither  would  hurt  the  othtr 

2.  Wliat  ])i'()of  have  you  to  ofler  that  tlie  corapanios  take  advantage 
of  the  scarcity  of  an  article  to  raise  the  price? 

The  most  i^romineptfreighver  here  last  jear  stated  that  he  delivered 
over  twenty  tons  of  frc'ght  to  the  different  gulches  with  the  advance 
of  15  cents  'j^cr  pound  addod  on  the  ground  that  tlio  ifoods  had  to  be 
freighted  up  from  Fort  Yukon,  when  everyone  knew  that  less  than 
1,(K)0  pounds  Lad  at  tluit  tiir.3  been  brouglit  from  Fort  Yukon.  It  is 
ttotorious  that  it  was  Ihe  i>olicy  of  tlie  North  American  Transportation 
and  Trading  Company  to  winter  their  boat  at  Fort  Yukon,  when  they 
might  just  as  well  have  brought  lier  to  Circle  City,  this  course  being 
pursued  in  order  that  they  might  have  an  excuse  to  mulct  the  miners 
as  "'/oo-ve  «tated.  Billiard  tables,  bar  fixtures,  ftimitare  for  houses  of 
easy  virtue,  and  all  the  parapbernalia  that  contribute  to  the  cons  np- 
tion  of  ahioltolic  liquors,  as  well  us  large  quantities  of  li(iuo-  ro 
freighted  «p  the  river  to  the  exclusion  of  necessary  food  supplie 

3.  Is  it  true  that  the  two  companies,  or  either  of  them,  have  reiv.oBd 
to  ■sell  groods  for  cash  to  certain  persons  for  protesting  a^yainst  alleged 
abnseM  of  power,  favoiing  those  who  tacdly  acquiesce  ii  their  action? 

This  matter  is  so  open  and  notorious  that  the  managers  of  the  com- 
panies will  not  deny  that  they  still  Biaiutain  that  they  have  the  right 
to  sell  goods  how  and  to  whom  they  please. 

4.  Have  the  comi)anie8  failed  to  keep  their  agreements  with  the 
miners!    If  so,  in  what  respect? 

Mr.  James  M.  Wilson,  the  superintendent  of  tl»e  Alaska  Commercial 
Company,  and  Mr.  George  Ellis,  repi^senting  the  North  American 
Transportation  and  Trading  Oompauy,  solemnly  jiromised  the  miners 
in  a  public  meeting  in  Circle  City  that,  providing  the  credit  business 
was  discontinued,  they  would  reduce  the  price  of  goods  33^^  i>er  cent  to 
the  miners.  Neither  o»mpany  sells  anything  now  except  for  cash,  and, 
notwithstanding  their  promise  to  reduce  prices  33^  i>er  cent,  they  <!on- 
ce<le  to  a  rise  of  20  i>er  cent,  but  which  in  reality  is  over  ">()  per  cent. 

5.  Are  the  charges  for  merchandise  extortionate?    Give  instances. 
Siwasli  tobacco,  that  costs  8J  cents  per  jwund  and  sold  last  year  for 

50  cents,  is  now  selling  for  $1.  Rubber  overshoes  that  sold  last  year 
for  $^.iiO  this  year  sell  for  $G.  Desiccated  potatoes  that  sold  last  year 
for  $i4  per  can  have  been  sold  this  year  for  $28,  or  $1  i)er  pound. 
Moccasins  that  cost  50  cents  per  pair  anl  sold  last  year  for  $2.50  sell 
this  year  for  $3.50  per  pair,  itoast  beef  that  sold  last  year  for  50  cents 
per  can  sells  this  year  for  75  cents  per  can.  Tea  that  costs  13  cents  per 
l)ound  in  San  Francisco  and  sold  last  year  for  $1  per  pound  sells  this 
year  for  $1.50  per  pound.  Pitted  plums  that  cost  in  the  San  Francisco 
market  73  cents  per  box  sell  here  for  $7.50,  and  other  fruits  in  proi>or- 
tion.  Beans  that  c<ost  1  cent  per  pound  on  the  outside  sell  for  15  cents 
per  pound  here.  Butter  that  sells  for  12^  cents  in  San  Francisco  sells 
here  for  75  cents  per  ponnd.  All  kinds  of  drugs  are  sold  at  $  I  j>fcr  ounce, 
many  of  the  articles  sold  being  bought  for  0  and  8  cents  p^r  pound  on 
the  outside.  Calico  that  costs  4J  cents  per  yard  in  San  Francisco  sells 
foi'  25  and  35  cents  per  yard  here,  and  ks  no  charge  ismnde  of  less  than 
25  cents  the  percentage  of  profit  made  on  noiioim  rnnges  into  the  thou- 
sands.   We  might  go  on  indetinitely ;  but  allowing  the  most  extrava- 


r  price  it 
ibrotlier- 
tion  nud 

8tiU)(liug 

I,  so  that 

I  vantage 

lelivered 
advance 
ad  to  be 
ess  than 
1.  It  is 
[>ortation 
hen  tliey 
Be  being 
10  miners 
lionses  of 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIKLD8. 


871 


np- 

re 


ions 
no- 
lie 

e  leivotsd 
it  alleged 
r  action? 
tlie  com- 
tlie  right 

■with  the 

nnnercial 
iinerican 
le  miners 
business 
it  cent  to 
;a8l),  and, 
they  (!on- 
iv  cent, 
tances. 
t  year  for 
hist  year 
last  year 
!r  pound. 
$2.50  sell 
r  50  cents 
cents  per 
sells  this 
Francisco 
n  proi>or- 
i'  15  cents 
•isco  sells 
Msr  ounce, 
pound  on 
[jisco  sells 
less  than 
the  thou- 
b  extrava- 


gant charges  for  transportation  and  handling  goods,  we  maintain  that 
tlie  eonii>nuies  make  a  profit  of  4'A)  per  cent  on  an  average  over  and 
above  cxixjuhcs. 

The  steamer  Cleveland  sailed  August  5  from  Seattle  for  St.  Michaels, 
chartered  by  the  North  American  Transportation  and  Trading  Com- 
pany nt  8100  per  day,  including  the  pay  of  the  crew.  She  niiule  one 
round  trip  in  iess  than  forty  days.  She  brought  up  103  passengers  at 
$200  each,  including  150  poumls  of  baggage,  allowing  150  pounds  of 
extra  baggage  at  10  cents  per  pound,  and  unloaded  1,400  tons  of  mer- 
chandise at  St.  Mi(!haels.  This  trip  cost  the  North  American  Trans- 
portation and  Trading  Company  |g,000,  including  the  expenses  of 
subsisting  the  crew.  The  receipts  from  the  103  passengers,  including 
the  charges  for  20,000  pounds  of  extra  baggage,  amounted  to  $34,000. 
Deducting  from  this  amount  the  $G,000  expenses  to  St.  Mi(;ha(>ls,  the 
company  had  remaining  $28,600,  or  $20.43  per  too,  with  which  to  trans- 
port the  1,400  tons  of  freight  from  St.  Michaels  to  Circle  City  and 
Dawson.  According  to  the  very  best  evidence  obtainablo  from  river 
men,  the  actual  cost  of  bringing  freight  from  St.  Mic  .lels  to  Circle  City 
never  lias  exceeded  $20  per  ton;  yet  the  companies,  as  a  preliminary 
charg'<>,  place 8  cents  per  iwnnd  against  transportation,  when  river  men, 
of  whom  there  are  many  here,  ai-e  unanimous  in  agreeing  that  this  is 
the  best  river  in  the  world  for  freigliting  and  that  an  independent  for- 
tune could  be  made  in  a  single  year  by  laying  down  San  Francisco 
freight  in  Circle  (^ity  at  2  cents  per  pound.  Of  course  we  know  that 
the  companies  talk  about  the  price  they  have  to  pay  for  wood  ($4  per 
cord),  but  we  also  know  that  they  average  500  i>er  cent  proiit  on  the 
goods  they  exchange  for  this  wood,  reducing  the  actual  cost  to  80  cents 
per  cord,  not  to  mention  the  profitable  trading  business  they  do  with 
the  Indians  along  the  river. 

.  FORT  YUKON  AND  THE  EXODUS. 

Fort  Yukon  is  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Yukon,  about  385 
miles  below  J>awson  and  teii  mile;s  above  the  mouth  of  the  Porcupine 
Bivcr,  just  within  the  Arctic  Circle,  lu  the  early  days  tli©  Hudson 
Bay  Company  had  a  trading  post  here,  but  the  buildings  were  burned 
by  the  Indians  many  years  ago  and  the  post  abandoned.  During  the 
past  season  both  oommerdial  companies,  on  acooimt  of  the  low  water 
on  the  Yukon  Flats,  were  obliged  t-o  laud  several  hundred  tons  of  freight 
at  Fort  Yukon,  and  they  have  erected  buildings  and  established  posts 
there. 

Of  the  iiw  ov  six  hundred  men  who  were  forced  to  come  down  the 
river  from  Dawson  about  tlu'ee  hundretl  went  to  Fort  Yukon,  where 
some  two  hundred  and  fifty  are  «i>endiug  the  winter,  the  others  having 
passed  on  to  Minook  and  other  points  on  the  lower  river.  Great  inter- 
est centers  in  Fort  Yukon,  as  it  is  the  point  where  the  authorities  in 
Dawson  assured  tlie  thousand  or  more  men  whom  they  attempted  to 
force  down  the  river  that  there  were  six  or  seven  hundred  tons  of  food 
supplies,  and  where  the  commercial  conai«inies  i-epresented  to  the  people 
of  Cirt'le  City  that  they  could  obtain  ample  provisions  for  the  winter. 
The  fiict  is  now  appar.Mit  that  while  there  were  fully  as  many  tons  of 
freight  at  Fort  Yukon  as  stated,  more  than  one-half  of  it  consisted  of 


I 


:i*  :; 


: 


372 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


whisky,  bigh  wines,  cigars,  tobacco,  hardware,  etc.,  and  that  if  tlie  move- 
ment to  force  the  people  out  of  Dawson  and  the  effort  to  induce  Circle 
City  to  depend  upon  that  source  of  supply  >md  i^roved  wholly  success- 
ful there  would  have  boen  a  much  more  sorious  shortage  of  provisions 
t>n  this  stretch  of  the  river  than  now  prevails  at  Dawson. 

Among  those  who  went  down  the  river  in  October  were  a  largo  num- 
ber of  men  without  meai'S,  who  had  received  assurances  in  the  speeches 
made  at  public  meetings  in  Dawson  that  they  would  be  provided  with 
supplies  at  Fort  Yukon.  On  their  arrival  at  that  jdaco  they  found  the 
local  representatives  of  the  commercial  companies  averse  to  ratifying 
the  assurances  made  at  Dawson,  and  about  the  Ist  of  ^November  an 
armed  mob  of  seventy  men  made  a  demonstration  against  the  caches  of 
the  two  companies,  which  are  situated  about  three  miles  apart.  Capt. 
P.  H.  Ray,  U.  S.  A.,  who  Avas  at  the  cache  of  the  Alaska  Commercial 
Company,  and  who  ordered  the  men  to  disperse,  was  held  by  force  until 
he  agreed  to  accede  to  their  terms — the  issuance  of  a  seven  months' 
outfit  to  every  man  at  Fort  Yukon  without  means.  This  demand  was 
made  for  the  reason  that  the  companies'  were  selling  to  each  man  but 
ten  days'  provisions  at  a  time,  thus  practically  holding  the  people  in 
Fort  Yukon  in  idleness  and  making  it  impossible  for  them  to  go  out 
prospecting.  A  committee  of  seven  men  was  appointed,  to  which  was 
delegated  tlie  duty  of  passing  upon  the  applications  of  destitutes  for 
outfits.  The  methods  pursued  by  the  committee  were  so  lax,  in  the 
opinion  of  Captain  Bay,  who,  in  the  meantime,  had  organized  a  civilian 
force  to  support  bim.  that  he  abrogated  the  powers  of  the  committee, 
assumed  full  charge  of  affairs,  and  raised  the  American  flag  over  both 
caches. 

Up  to  the  3  st  of  December  220  men  had  been  outfitted  at  the  two 
stores,  130  oi  these  receiving  their  outfits  as  destitutes  and  giving  their 
notes,  payable  in  one  year,  the  Government  securing  the  companies 
for  all  bad  debts.  Captain  Ray  states  that  he  took  this  course  relative 
to  tlie  130  men  for  the  reason  that,  being  destitute,  they  would  have  to 
be  fed  until  the  opening  of  navigation.  He  felt  that  it  would  do  no 
good  to  hold  them  in  Fort  Yukon  and  feed  them  in  idleness,  and  that 
by  giving  them  supplies  until  June  1  they  would  be  enabled  to  go  out 
prospecting  and  develop  th.r?  «'.ountry.  He  wished  also  to  avoid,  as  far 
as  possible,  the  complications  liable  to  arise  among  so  largma  number  of 
idle  men,  many  of  whom  were  desperate  over  their  failure  to  realize 
their  expectations  in  the  Klondike  district.  Captain  Ray  stated,  on 
December  1,  that  there  was  a  sufficient  supply  of  food  at  Fort  Yukon 
to  support  COO  people  until  .June  1.  Both  caches  were  out  of  coffee, 
tea,  and  candles,  but  there  was  an  abundance  of  flour,  bacon,  rice,  etc., 
to  last  even  beyond  the  date  named.  Cutting  wood  for  the  steamboats 
and  prospecting  are  the  only  occupations  the  country  affords,  and  a 
large  number  of  men  are  cutting  wood  and  quite  a  number  have  gone 
into  the  mountains  to  prospect.  ' 


THE    ALASKAN.  GOLD    FIELDS.  373 

The  followiug  is  a  typical  seven-moutliH'  outfit  furuislied  by  the  com- 
panies to  destitutes : 

250  pounds  Hour iji25.  (X> 

50  xioundH  bacon , 30, 00 

60  i)0un(l8  beans 7,  20 

30  pounds  riro (5.  OQ 

3  pounds  baking  powder 3. 00 

16  pounds  bntt«r 12.00 

2  C'SCB  vegetables  (2  dozen  2-pound  cans) 20. 00 

75  pounds  evaportited  fruits „ 22.  SO 

1  pound  soda 50 

1  gallon  vinegar  (or  1^  gallons  piolilos,  at  $2.50) 2. 00 

EO  pounds  sugar 12.50 

30  pounds  lard 9.00 

2  pounds  salt 20 

3  pounds  cofteo  1.50 

1  dozen  cans  condensed  mil Jc 5. 00 

1  case  roast  beef  (1  dozen  2-poimd  cans) , 9.  00 

1  case  corned  beef  (1  dozen  2-pound  cans) (i.  00 

2  gallons  sirup 5.00 

10  candles 1.00 

Total U?7.40 

A  quotation  of  the  special  prices  charged  for  a  few  sample  articles  by 
the  Korih  American  Transportation  and  Trading  Company  at  Fort 
Yukon  during  the  past  fall  (when  the  other  company  was  out  of  them) 
maybe  interesting,  as  indicative  of  commercial  method.son  the  Yukon: 
Evaporated  jiotatoes  were  sold  for  $28  per  can,  the  price  charged  for 
them  by  the  same  company  at  Circle  City  being  $14  per  can;  (Viewing 
tobacco,  $2.50  i)er  pound,  the  Circle  City  price  being  $1;  tea,  $2  iier 
pound,  the  Circle  City  price  being  $1.  The  explanation  given  for  the 
special  charge  for  potatoes  is  that  the  agent,  being  a  new  man  and 
unfamiliar  with  the  company's  schedule  of  fixed  prices,  inadvertently 
doubled  the  price.  As  to  the  other  items,  it  is  explained  that  the  articles 
were  purchased  at  the  Circle  City  store  at  the  ret  il  i)rices  there  and 
that  the  advanced  prices  were  charged  to  cov  '  25  cents  per  pound 
freight  ajid  to  meet  the  requirement  of  the  company  that  each  station 
shall  make  a  profit  on  its  transactions,  a  rule  which  no  doubt  produces 
results  gratifying  to  the  stockholders,  but  which  works  great  hardship 
to  the  helpless  consumer.  Some  special  j^rices  prevail  at  the  Fort  Yukon 
station  that  are  probably  more  properly  attributable  to  the  scarcity  of 
the  articles  involved  than  to  high  freight  rates;  for  instance,  8-inch  flat 
mill  files,  costing  75  cents  per  dozen  at  wholesale  and  .selling  heretofore 
at  75  cents  apiece,  are  sold  this  winter  at  $1.50  apiece,  while  silk  hand- 
kerchiefs that  cost  $8  per  dozen  outside  are  sold  to  the  Indians  at  from 
$5  to  $8  apiece,  according  to  color.  A  quart  of  coal  oil,  the  largest 
quantity  sold  at  one  time,  costs  the  consumer  $2. 

About  the  1st  of  October,  when  the  Klondike  exiles  began  to  arrive 
at  Fort  Yukon,  there  were  only  two  or  three  log  cabins  in  the  place,  and 
4684— No.  16 G 


.    '^^ 


wmt 


S7i 


BULLETIN   OF   THE   DEPARTMENT   OF   LAIJOR. 


Buariy  viho  were  misupplied  with  tentf.'  Avere  forced  to  sleep  in  the  open 
air.  Daring  the  fall  some  thirty  -Ave  or  forty  coinfortablo  cabins  were 
ore<!ted,  and  nearly  ©very  oite  is  wi  ill  lioused  for  tbo  winter.  Fortuiiatc  ly, 
the  wiuitH'  so  far  has  beeit  the  miWest  over  known  here,  the  lox^ost  teuj- 
perature  recorded  being  U  degrees  below  zero  and  tlie  mercnry  stand- 
iiig  above  the  zero  mark  for  weeks  at  a  time;  consequently,  there  has 
been  much  less  suifering  than  was  anticipated. 


ALASKA,  ITS  MINEBAL  AND  AGJ^-I CULTURAL  EESOUUCES, 
OLIMATJO  COJSDITIONS,  ETC. 

One  of  the  best  books  wnitten  on  Alaska,  and  tlie  one  which  contains 
the  most  accurate  iufoiiuation  relative  to  the  Yukon  region,  is  Victor 
Wilsoii's  Guide  to  the  It'akon  Gold  Fields,  Tiiis  gifted  anthor  spent 
the  sunnmer  of  1894  on  tlie  Yukon,  and  the  results  of  his  observations 
were  iiublished  in  January,  1805,  aliuost  simultaneously  with  his  death, 
the  direct  outcome  of  the  exposure  and  hardshi^is  of  ids  journey  through 
Alaska.  While  the  book,  on  account  of  its  hurried  preparation,  shows 
some  (iofects,  it  eoutaius  a  vasifc  amount  of  information  of  renuirkable 
accuracy,  presented,  in  a  most  charming  style,.  Mr.  Wilson's  work  has 
been  used  freely  in  the  preparation  of  this  report,  not  in  the  appropri- 
ation iyj  any  reprehensible  degree  of  the  nniterial  contained  therein,  but 
rath<^r  as  a  guide  and  inspiration  in  wnndering  througli  an  almost 
pathless  wilderness  of  isolated  and  elusive  facts.  The  liberty  is  taken 
of  making  the  following  quotation  from  the  introduction  to  the  book: 

The  rush  to  the  Yukon  hi^t  spi'in,;;  saw  ma:iy  prospectors  in  tlie 
field  with  ihe  most  ])romising  ve^ults.  Many  new  creeks  v/ere  discov- 
ered of  greaf;  extent  and  richness,  ftud  «ll  the  old  miiu-s  yielded  bettor 
resalt.H  titan  evftv  before.  Js^o  creek  in  the  entire  basin  which  was  pros- 
pected with  any  degree  of  pre^jision  failed  to  show  at  least  a  (olor. 
The  estin\attd  amount  of  gold  taken  out  of  tlie  country  last  year  haii 
becJi  ])lace(t  a.^  high  as  $l,<)00,0OO,  i^nd  while  this  is  higliiy  impntbable, 
the  ?uany  wlio  have  returned  with  amonuts  varying  IVoni  .<«r),()()0  to 
$3r),<iOM  prove  beyoinl  a.  doubt  that  the  country  is  one  of  groat  richness. 
With  ihese  facts  fresh  betor«  the  public,  at  a  time  when  the  brawn  and 
muscle  of  our  gceat  nafion  is  ahnost  at  a  st.andstill,  it  may  reasonably 
be  expee!.ed  that  umny  will  turn  their  attontkm  in  this  direction,  nnd  it 
is  therefore  the  pnrpoiNe  of  those  pages  to  give  such  information  as  will 
be  of  benefit  to  tbose  who  \mdert;(ke  tbe  trip. 

The  Cliilkoot  Pass  i:s  the  only  voute  used  to  niiy  extent  at  present  by 
the  miners,  uud  is  the  shosJest  povvanf^.from  salt  water  to  the  navigable 
wattrsof  the  Yukon.  This  ronto  J<'  'ii  over  the  Chilkoot  Pass  (lown 
the  lake  to  i.ewes  iiiver,  thence  u  the  Yukoji  to  iiio  mines  at 

different  points  on  that  river.  The  trip  is  one  of  diRicnlties,  whi(;h  will 
tax  the  oiuiuranco  and  nerve  of  the  m-  st  liardy,  and  only  such  men  can 
reasonably  exi>eet  to  succeed,  for  only  v.'itli  the  most  incessant  toil,  such 
;!S  packing  provisions  over  pathless  mountains,  towing  n  heavy  boat 
against  a  five  to  an  eight  nnle  current  over  battered  bowhiers,  digging; 
in  the  botton.less  iVo«t,  sleeping  where  night  overtakes,  figliling  gnats 
and  mosquitoe  <  by  the  million,  shooting  soothing  ra|>iils  and  canyfais, 
aud  exiduriug  for  soveii  long  uioutbs  a  reieutless  cold  which  never  riuus 


rivers 
and  ral 
arc  ])lei 
tiieirth 
repnisi' 

Whi 
pro))er 
will  be 
where 
sjKit  th; 
sliovcs 
roses  ai 
terrace 
which 
suinmei 
thiinde 
at  nigh 

WitlJ 
^^•Ork 
import; 
near  fu 
gold  t 
rivniini 

The 

writer 


THE    ALASKAK    GOLD    FIELDS. 


375 


abovo  zero  and  frequently  falls  to  80  dofjreos  below — any  man  physic- 
ally endowed  to  overcomo  these  obstucles  who  will  ^o  there  for  a  few 
years  can  by  strict  attention  to  business  make  a  good  stake,  with  the 
possibilities  of  a  fortune. 

The  climate  is  one  uuequaled  for  health,  the  summer  months  are 
delightful,  game  is  plenty  in  season,  and  the  winters,  while  cold,  are 
healthy  and  help  to  re<;ui>erate  the  lost  vitality  f/'om  the  incessant  toil 
of  the  summer. 

The  next  few  years  will  see  wagon  roads  and  trails  through  the  Coast 
Kange,  steamers  on  the  lakes  and  upper  river,  and  the  whole  of  tlie  vast 
u])per  country  will  bo  made  accessible  to  the  miner,  Tlseii  hundreds 
will  dock  there,  and  ten  years  Avill  see  a  population  of  10l),(i)K)  i>e()i»le  in 
the  Yukon  Basin.  Then  its  vast  richness  will  become  the  by- word  of 
the  world,  for  it  is  a  poor  man's  country — nature  has  stored  her  treasure 
in  a  safe  of  ice  with  a  time  lo«k  which  opeiis  only  in  the  long  sunny  days 
of  summer.  Tlydi-aulic  mining  is  made  impossible  owing  to  the  lack  of 
Avater,  for  only  the  glacial  drip  of  the  hills  is  accessible  in  the  guhthes 
which  carry  the  most  gold.  Tins  will  make  its  period  of  i)roductiven('ss 
much  greater,  while  capital  will  tind  lucrative  investments  in  the  i  ich 
lodes  of  gold,  iron,  coal,  and  copper,  and  in  the  bars  of  the  rivers,  which 
have  become  no  longer  useful  to  the  pan  or  cradle  in  the  hands  of  tlie 
miner.  All  along  the  whole  route  from  the  Coast  Itange  down  to  old 
Fort  Yukon  the  close  observer  can  see  vast  treasures  in  the  mountains — 
coal,  marble,  and  copper — only  waiting  for  the  country  to  develop  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  bring  them  within  reach  of  the  outside  world. 

The  country  south  of  tlie  Pelly  Itiver  is  quite  AveU  timbeied.  it  is  a 
good  grazing  country;  all  the  hardy  vegetal  s  grow  well,  and  even 
wheat  ripens. 

It  18  a  line  game  and  fish  country.  Bear  of  several  vari<»ti'  s,  moose, 
caribou,  wolves,  and  many  fur- bearing  animals  abound.  I<  is  doubtless 
the  greatest  coujitry  in  the  world  for  the  silver  and  the  black  fox.  The 
rivers  and  lakes  are  teeming  with  many  varieties  of  fish,  while  grouse 
and  rabbits  are  numerous  along  the  shore.  Water  fowl  of  many  kinds 
are  ])lenty,  and  their  long  sojourtiing  in  these  inland  waters  gives  to 
tiieir  tlesii  a  flavor  Aviiich,  although  high  and  gamy,  never  acquires  that 
repulsive,  fishy  taste  so  uJiiversal  to  the  fowls  of  this  co.ast. 

When  once  this  country  is  made  accessible  from  the  Sound  pointj^  l>y 
pro])er  transiiortatiou  tacilities  it  can  be  reached  in  ten  days.  Then  it 
Avill  become  one  of  the  greatest  tourist  countries  of  the  world,  for 
where  is  grander  scer.ery,  a  more  l)eautiful  climate,  or  a  nior(i  favored 
spot  than  in  this  lake  country  during  three  months  in  sumnier?  Tlie 
.shores  are  boi'dered  by  strips  of  green  meadow,  bedecked  with  wild 
roses  and  an  endless  variety  of  flowers  of  the  most  delicate  tints,  while 
terraced  open  and  tiuibered  slopes  stretch  away  to  high  mountains, 
Mhich  in  turn  arc  V-acked  by  snow-capped  peaks.  During  the  wlude 
summer  sf^arcely  any  rain  falls,  with  the  exception  of  an  occasional 
thundershower;  the  sun  is  seklr  lost  sight  of,  except  for  a  brief  period 
atniglil,  ■  '•'; 

Within  three  yeara  it  will  V  jJ'ossible  to  leave  Seattle  in  the  spring, 
Mork  in  the  mines  all  summer,  and  return  in  the  fall.  Tlieii  the 
importance  of  these  vast  gold  fields  will  come  to  be  realized,  and  in  the 
iiear  future  tlie  word  Yukon  will  associate  itself  so  closely  with  that  of 
gold  that  ita  mere  meiition  will  convey  impressions  of  an  Eldorado 
rivaling  that  of  fable. 

The  foregoing,  read  in  the  light  of  recent  events,  shows  that  the 
writer  was  endowed  with  the  spirit  of  prophecy.    The  following  extract 


I 


376 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


from  the  introduction  to  Miner  W.  Bruce's  work  on  Alaska,  published 
in  1895,  indicates  that  he,  too,  held  substantially  the  same  views  in 
regard  to  the  ftiture  of  that  Territory : 

The  fleld  is  large,  and  already  the  dawning  of  great  enterprises  fills 
the  minds  of  ambitious  projectors.  Gold  fields  are  to  be  opened  up, 
railways  built,  possibly  with  a  span  of  communication  with  the  Old 
World,  besides  manj  other  projects  which  will  cause  the  active  Ameri- 
can brain  to  vibrate  with  new  vigor.  And  if  the  writer  can  awaken 
any  patriotic  sentiment  to  further  and  protect  the  interests  of  this 
grand  Territory,  he  will  be  satisfied. 

He  can  not  consistently  advise  those  seeking  a  place  to  make  a  home, 
or  those  looking  for  a  new  fleld  of  labor,  to  choose  Alaska,  unless  they 
have  some  means,  and  a  reasonable  amount  of  stamina  and  good 
health.  To  any  ono  possessed  of  these  qualifications,  he  unhesitatingly 
and  unqualifiedly  s.ys  "Go." 

He  is  in  earnest  when  he  says  that  he  believes  the  next  few  years 
will  present  many  opportunities  lor  investment  and  for  laying  a 
foundation  for  lucrative  business  enterprises,  and  perhaps  wealth. 
But  if  anyone  expects  to  acquire  these  without  experiencing  the  hard- 
ships and  privations  incident  to  pioneer  life,  he  will  be  disappointed. 

Until  the  past  season,  on  account  of  the  lack  of  transportation  facili- 
ties and  the  consequent  imijossibility  of  bringing  mining  machinery 
into  the  country,  but  little  attention  had  been  given  by  the  miners  of 
the  Yukon  basin  to  the  subject  of  the  possible  discovery  and  develop- 
ment of  quartz  ledges.  Now  that  the  introduction  of  machinery  within 
the  next  two  or  three  years  is  within  the  bounds  of  probability,  an  active 
interest  is  being  taken  in  the  search  for  quartz.  It  is  known  to  a  cer- 
tainty that  many  gold-bearing  leads,  that  can  be  worked  profitably 
under  favorable  conditions,  exist  at  the  head  of  the  north  fork  of  Forty 
Mile  Greek  and  that  they  have  been  traced  across  the  head  of  Seventy 
Mile.  The  great  copper  belt,  which  crosses  the  Yukon  at  Dawson, 
extends  through  Alaska  to  the  Copper  Eiver  country.  This  belt  crosses 
the  Tanana  Valley  from  100  to  150  miles  from  Circle  City,  and  the 
Indians  and  a  few  white  men  who  have  been  in  tliat  country  report  that 
native  copi)er  is  found  in  Ijirge  quantities,  often  in  masses  weighing  from 
20  to  100  pounds,  in  the  bed  of  the  streams,  indicating  beyond  doubt 
that  the  region  is  exceedingly  rich  in  copper.  The  proposed  railroad 
from  the  head  of  Cook  Inlet  or  Prince  William  Sound,  referred  to  in  the 
section  on  Transportation,  would  strike  th<'  Tanana  in  the  heart  of  this  | 
great  copper  zone,  a  fact  which  efi'ectually  disposes  of  the  principal 
objection  to  the  construction  of  a  railroad  into  a  placer  mining  country 
by  the  assurance  of  an  immense  tonnage  of  return  freight  to  tide  water,  j 

During  the  present  winter  (1897-9S;  many  prospectors  have  gone 
from  Circle  City  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Tanana  River,  where  it  is 
rumored  good  creeks  have  been  found,  and  (luite  a  number  have  gone 
up  the  Porcupine  from  Fort  Yukon;  so  it  is  quite  likely  that  by  the 
middle  of  the  coming  summer  it  will  bo  definitely  known  whether  there 
is  any  truth  in  the  marvelous  stories  told  by  the  Indians  relative  to  the 


in  the  ^ 
of  hyd: 
in  man 

The' 
into  thi 
and  ph 

The" 
Ocean  i 
east  by 

The. 
the  isla 

The  I 
east  of 

The^ 
report, 
the  Yul 
and  co\i 
to  broa« 
especial 
tion  bei 
and  lav 
soil  aLs( 
times  cl 
of  siiha 
a  large] 
sand  ai 
(lepositj 
invaria] 
at  a  del 
it  remal 
layer  oj 
depth 
undoul 
conduci 
almost! 
the  soil 
alluvial 
is  mut 
entirel] 
driiina] 
the  gr| 
subterj 
that  aj 
coiiceil 


^ 


THE    ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


377 


>8 


ublished 
views  in 

rises  fills 
)ened.  up, 

the  Old 
e  Ameri- 

awaken 
ts  of  this 

e  a  home, 
Qless  they 
and  good 
isitatingly 

few  years 
laying  a 
wealth. 
f  the  hard- 
appointed. 

tion  facili- 
machinery 
miners  of 
id  develop- 
lery  within 
y,  an  active 
vn  to  a  cer- 
l  profitably 
irk  of  Forty 
of  Seventy 
it  Dawson, 
belt  crosses 
ty,  and  the 
•  report  that 
sighing  from 
lyond  doubt 
sed  railroad 
red  to  in  the 
lieart  of  this 
;ie  principal 
ling  country 
o  tide  water. 
3  have  gone 
,  where  it  is 
;r  have  gone 
that  by  the 
hether  there 
lative  to  the 


richness  of  those  streams.  Without  regard  to  new  discoveries,  how- 
ever, as  stated  elsewhere,  there  are  tliousands  of  acres  of  placer  ground 
in  the  various  districts  that  will  yield  fiuQ  returns  under  the  application 
of  hydraulic  processes,  while  there  are  largo  veins  of  bituminous  coal 
in  many  localities  that  oflFer  attractive  inducements  to  capit.jl. 

The  Territory  of  Alaska  must  necessarily  be  divided,  agriculturally, 
into  three  districts,  each  difteriug  from  the  other  in  climate,  vegetation, 
and  physical  characteristics. 

The  Yukon  district  is  bounded  on  the  north  and  west  by  the  Arctic 
Ocean  and  Bering  Sea,  on  the  south  by  the  Alaskan  Range,  and  on  the 
east  by  the  boundary  line. 

The  Aleutian  district  embraces  part  of  the  Alaska  peninsula  and  all 
tlie  islands  west  of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty-fifth  degree  of  longitude. 

The  Sitkan  district  includes  all  our  Alaskan  possessions  south  and 
east  of  the  peninsula. 

The  Yukon  district  is  the  only  one  immediately  considered  in  this 
report,  as  the  interest  now  centers  in  that  section.  The  character  of 
the  Yukon  territory  varies  from  low,  rolling  hills,  fairly  easy  of  ascent 
and  covered  from  foot  to  crown  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  vegetation, 
to  broad,  marshy  plains  extending  for  miles  on  either  side  of  tiie  river, 
especially  near  its  mouth.  The  rocks  vary  much,  the  greater  proi)or- 
tion  being  conglomerate,  syenite,  quartzite,  and  sandstone.  Trachyte 
and  lava  abound  in  many  parts  of  the  valley.  The  superincumbent 
soil  also  diflfers  in  some  localities,  being  sometimes  sandy  and  some- 
times clayey.  In  the  latter  case  it  is  frequently  covered  with  a  growth 
of  sphagnum,  which  causes  a  deterioration  of  the  soil  below  it.  Over 
a  large  extent  of  country  it  is  a  rich  alluvium,  composed  of  very  fine 
sand  and  vegetable  matter  brought  down  by  the  river  and  forming 
<U'posit8  of  indefinite  deptlis,  and  in  such  localities  fresh-water  marl  is 
invariably  found  in  abundance.  The  soil  in  summer  is  usually  frozen 
at  a  deiith  of  three  or  four  feet  in  ordinary  situations;  in  colder  ones 
it  remains  icy  to  within  twelve  or  eighteen  inches  of  the  surface.  The 
layer  of  frozen  soil  is  usually  six  or  eight  feet  thick,  and  below  that 
depth  the  soil  is  oftentimes  destitute  of  ice.  This  plienonienon  is 
undoubtedly  traceable  to  the  scant  drainage,  combined  with  the  non- 
conductive  covering  of  moss,  which  prevents  the  scorching  sun  of  an 
almost  tropical  midsummer  from  thawing  out  the  soil.  In  places  where 
tlie  soil  is  well  drained  and  is  not  covered  with  moss,  as  in  the  large 
alluvial  deposits  near  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  River,  the  frozen  layer 
is  much  farther  below  the  surface,  and  in  many  places  appears  to  be 
entirely  absent.  There  is  no  doubt  that  in  fiivorable  situations,  by 
driiinage  and  deep  plowing,  the  ice  can  be  entirely  removed  from 
the  ground,  and,  as  will  be  noticed  later  on,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  tiiis 
subterranean  ice  layer  is  essentially  due  to  the  mossy  accumnlatioiis 
that  are  so  prevalent  in  tlie  Yukon  territory.  It  is  quite  possible  to 
conceive  of  a  locality  so  depressed  and  deprived  of  dniinage  that  the 


m 


w 


878 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


I'',! 


annnal  moisture  derived  from  the  rainfall  and  melting  snow  would 
colleci  between  the  impervious  clayey  soil  and  sphagnous  covering, 
congeal  during  the  winter,  and  be  prevented  from  melting  during  the 
ensuing  summer  by  the  nonconductive  properties  of  the  mossy  cover- 
ing. The  lesson  that  the  agriculturist  or  political  economist  may 
learn  from  this  peculiar  formation  is  that  a  luxuriant  growth  of  veg- 
etation may  exist  iu  the  immediate  vicinity  of  permanent  ice,  bearing 
its  blossoms  and  maturing  its  seeds  as  readily  and  profusely  as  in 
situations  much  more  favorable.  Hence  it  is  safe  to  infer  that  a  large 
extent  of  territory,  embracing  millions  of  acres,  long  considered  value- 
less, may  yet  furnish  to  the  settler,  if  not  an  abundant  harvest,  at  least 
an  acceptable  and  not  inconsiderable  addition  to  his  fare  of  fish,  game, 
and  canned  goods. 

The  climate  of  this  territory  iu  the  interior  differs  from  that  of  the 
seacoast,  even  in  localities  comparatively  adjacent,  that  of  the  coast 
being  tempered  by  the  vast  body  of  water  in  Bering  Sea,  and  many 
southern  currents  bringing  warmer  water  from  the  Pacific  and  making 
the  coast  much  milder  than  the  country  even  thirty  miles  inland.  The 
summers,  on  account  of  the  heavy  rainfall  and  cloudy  weather,  are 
much  cooler  and  less  pleasant  on  the  coast  than  iu  the  interior.  The 
months  of  May,  June,  and  July  are  sunny,  fairly  warm,  and  clear  as  a 
rule,  and  the  development  of  plant  life  is  extremely  rapid.  The  snow 
has  hardly  disappeared  before  a  mass  of  herbage  has  sprung  up,  and 
the  patches  which  but  a  few  days  before  presented  the  appearance  of 
nothing  but  a  white  sheet  are  now  teeming  with  an  active  vegetation, 
producing  leaves,  flowers,  and  fruit  in  rapid  succession.  The  long 
arctic  day  seems  to  have  little  deleterious  effect  on  plants,  as  they 
have  their  period  of  sleep,  even  as  in  the  Tropics,  which  is  indicated  by 
the  same  drooping  of  the  leaves  and  other  signs  observed  in  milder 
climates. 

Many  people  have  a  wrong  impression  as  to  tlie  duration  of  day  and 
night  here.  While  it  is  true  that  in  the  months  of  Juno  and  July  and 
part  of  August  the  sun  is  visible  ior  i»ossibly  twen»y  tiours  out  of  the 
twenty-four,  and  there  is  no  darkness  akin  to  night  during  the  remain- 
ing fonr  hours  of  the  day,  the  spring  and  autumn  are  very  similar  to 
those  seasons  in  a  lower  latitude,  save  in  the  rapidity  witli  which  the 
hours  of  sunlight  increase  or  decrease.  In  the  summer  months  it  is 
only  at  night  that  the  traveler  or  prospector  is  able  to  nccomplish  any- 
thing, as  there  is  sunlight  enough  at  midnight  to  read  or  work  by,  and 
the  cool  breezes  that  blow  only  at  that  hour  bring  relict'  from  the  stings 
of  the  myriad  insects  that  have  made  the  tropicliko  day  so  unbearable. 

Tlie  winter  months  are  not  so  dark  and  gloomy  as  they  arc  generally 
supjiosed  to  be.  While  tlie  sun  is  visible  for  only  a  few  minutes  on 
December  21,  the  amount  of  actual  sunlight  is  four  and  a  half  hours, 
and  even  after  the  entire  dissipation  of  sunlight  the  light  reflected  by 
the  snow  and  that  borrowed  from  the  aurora  enables  the  traveler  to 


THE   ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


379 


w  would 
loveriiig, 
iring  the 
sy  cover- 
nist  may 
h  of  veg- 
,  bearing 
iely  as  in 
(it  a  large 
etl  valuc- 
I,  at  least 
isli,  game, 

lat  of  the 

the  coast 

and  many 

id  making 

and.    The 

ather,  are 

rior.    The 

clear  as  a 

The  snow 

ig  up,  and 

pearance  of 

vegetation, 

The  long 

ts,  as  they 

idicated  by 

1  in  milder 

of  day  and 
id  July  and 
i  out  of  the 
the  reniain- 
Y  simihvr  to 
1  which  the 
iionths  it  is 
inplish  any- 
ork  by,  and 
1  the  stings 
unbearable, 
•e  generally 
minutes  on 
half  hours, 
reflected  by 
traveler  to 


pursue  his  way,  while  the  moonlight  in  this  region  seems  to  attain  a 
higher  brilliancy  than  in  lower  latitudes,  it  being  possible  to  read  by 
its  aid,  and  photographs  of  even  distant  objects  have  been  very  bug- 
cessfully  taken  by  an  exposure  of  fifteen  minutes. 

The  following  table  shows  the  mean  temperature  of  the  seasons  as 
observed  in  1894 : 


MEAN  TEMPERA 

TTTRE  OP  EACH  SEASON,  1894. 

Season. 

Locality. 

St.  UicliaeU. 

{  Xiilato 

Ft  Yukon. 

Sprin".,. • 

29 

6» 

26 

9 

20 
60 

30 
—14 

U 

GO 

Suiiiuior 

Aiitiiniu  . ......... ...>.........>............ 

17 

Winter 

24 

The  present  winter  (1897-98)  has  been  one  of  phenomenal  mildness. 
Observations  of  teniperaturo  at  Circle  City  during  the  months  of  Octo- 
ber, November,  and  December,  1897,  show  the  following  results: 

October:  fin. in.    8p.m. 

High 30  30 

Low —18      —  6 

Meau 8 

November: 

High 2(,  20 

Low — 4o      —39 

Mean —  7 

December: 

Higli 2G  6 

Low —34      -30 

Mean —  G 

The  mean  annual  temperature  of  the  Yukon  Valley,  from  tlio  mouth 
of  the  river  to  the  boundary  line,  may  be  roughly  estimated  at  23 
degrees.  The  greatest  degree  of  cold  ever  recorded  in  this  district  was 
77  degrees  below  zero,  but  such  cold  as  this  is  exceedingly  rare,  and 
has  but  little  tfiect  on  the  vegetation  of  the  country,  covered,  as  it  is, 
with  from  three  to  five  feet  of  snow. 

Open  water  is  found  in  many  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Yukon,  even 
in  the  coldest  weather,  and  many  siirings  are  never  frozen.  This  phe- 
nomenon is  particularly  noticeable  between  Circle  City  and  Fort  Yukon. 
Oftentimes  when  traveling  over  a  well-beaten  trail  in  the  coldest 
weather,  when  one's  breath  is  frozen  as  rapidly  as  exhaled,  a  yellow 
smudge  indicates  that  possible  danger  is  larking  in  the  middle  of  the 
trail;  but  while  you  hesitate  the  smudge  disapi)ears  and  a  volume  of 
yellow  water  boils  over  the  surface  of  the  ice,  and  you  break  a  new 
trail  around  the  treacherous  spot.  This  peculiar  uprising  o*"  the  water 
is  undoubtedly  duo  to  the  existence  of  hot  sulphur  springs  in  the  bed 
of  the  river.  The  water  at  these  points  has  a  decidedly  sulphurous 
taste. 


380 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


The  real  opportunity  for  agricultural  enterprise  in  any  country  can 
not  be  deduced  from  annual  mean  temperature  alone,  but  it  is  in  a 
measure  dependent  on  the  heat  and  duration  of  the  summer.  It  is  a 
common  occurrence  for  the  thermometer  placed  in  the  direct  rays  of  the 
sun  to  rise  gradually  to  120  degrees  and  burst  the  spirit  thermometers 
in  use  here,  which  intensity  of  heat  can  only  be  appreciated  by  one  who 
has  endured  it.  The  only  relief  obtainable  from  the  torridness  of  the 
summer  months  on  the  Upper  Yukon,  during  which  vegetation  attains 
an  almost  tropical  luxuriance,  is  found  in  the  brief  time  when  the  sun 
sinks  almost  to  the  horizon  in  the  north ;  the  transient  coolness  of  the 
midnight  air  then  becomes  a  blessing  to  the  weary  voyager. 

The  annual  rainfall  for  the  Yukon  Valley  is  estimated  by  careful 
observers  at  about  twenty-five  inches,  while  on  the  coast  it  is  from 
sixty  to  seventy  inches.  The  snow  fall  will  probably  average  six  feet 
in  the  Yukon  district,  although  oftentimes  it  is  as  much  as  ten  or 
twelve  feet. 

In  the  interior  there  is  much  less  wind  than  on  the  coast,  and  tlie 
snow  lies  as  it  falls  among  the  trees.  Toward  spring  the  gullies  and 
ravines  are  well  filled,  the  underbrush  covered,  and  travel  with  dogs 
becomes  easy  and  pleasant,  for  the  snow,  melted  on  its  surface  by  the 
noonday  sun,  has  been  frozen  to  a  crust,  rendering  snowshoes  entirely 
unnecessary. 

In  the  valley  of  the  Lower  Yukon  the  months  of  May  and  June  and 
part  of  July  bring  sunny,  delightful  weather,  but  the  remainder  of  the 
season  is  usually  rainy — three  or  four  days  in  the  week,  at  least.  In 
the  latter  part  of  the  summer  it  is  somewhat  foggy,  but  as  one  ascends 
the  river  the  climate  improves,  and  the  short  summer  is  dry,  hot,  and 
pleasant,  only  varied  by  an  occasional  quick  shower. 

The  climatic  law  which  governs  the  distribution  of  trees  and  plants 
also  seems  to  limit  the  wanderings  of  the  aborigines.  The  Eskimos 
extend  all  along  the  coast  and  up  the  principal  rivers  as  far  as  the  tundra 
or  flat  lands  reach.  The  Indians  who  populate  the  interior  seldom 
pass  without  the  boundary  of  the  woods.  Neither  perform  any  agricul- 
tural labor  whatever,  unless  one  can  so  designate  the  picking  of  wild 
berries,  which  form  their  only  vegetable  food,  except  the  roots  of  the 
wild  parsnip  and  the  leafstalks  of  a  species  of  wild  rhubarb.  Until 
comparatively  recent  times  little  had  been  done  toward  agricultural 
progress,  but  the  day  is  not  distant  when  many  varieties  of  vegetables 
will  be  grown  around  the  miners'  cabins  in  this  icebound  region. 

The  first  requisite  for  habitation  or  even  exploration  in  any  country 
is  timber.  With  it  almost  all  parts  of  the  Yukon  territory  are  well 
supplied.  The  treeless  coasts  even  of  the  Arctic  Ocean  can  hardly  be 
said  to  be  an  exception,  as  they  are  abundantly  supplied  with  drift- 
wood from  the  immense  supplies  brought  down  the  mighty  Mackenzie 
and  the  not  less  majestic  Yukon  and  other  rivers  and  distributed  all 
along  the  coast  line  of  Alaska  by  the  waves  and  ocean  currents. 


THE    ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


381 


The  largest  and  most  valuable  tree  found  in  the  Yukon  territory  is 
the  white  spruce.  This  beautiful  conifer  is  found  over  tlie  whole 
country  a  short  distance  inland,  but  largest  and  most  vigorous  in  the 
vicinity  of  running  water.  It  attains  a  height  of  from  60  to  100  feet, 
and  a  diameter  at  the  butt  of  one  to  two  feet.  The  wood  is  white, 
close,  and  straight  grained;  it  is  easily  worked,  being  light,  yet  very 
tough — much  more  so  than  its  Oregon  relative.  For  spars  it  has  uo 
superior,  but  is,  as  a  rule,  too  slender  for  masts.  It  is  very  enduring, 
as  is  evidenced  by  the  existence  in  the  Yukon  district  of  many  liouses 
built  by  the  Russians  sixty  or  seventy  years  ago,  the  timbers  of  which 
are  to-day  as  sound  as  when  they  were  built.  It  is  interesting  to  note 
in  this  connection  that  the  age  of  the  spruce  of  the  Yukon  forests,  as 
indicated  by  the  annular  fiber,  is  as  great  as  that  of  the  giant  Douglas 
spruce  of  the  lower  coast,  it  being  not  uncommon  to  find  here  a  tree 
with  an  eight-inch  trunk  that  has  attained  an  age  of  six  or  seven 
hundred  years.  This  fact  is  attributable  to  climatic  conditions,  and 
eliminates  from  the  problem  of  a  future  timber  supply  all  calculations 
as  to  a  new  growth  during  the  present  cycle.  The  northern  limit  of 
this  tree  is  about  67  degrees  latitude.  The  unexplored  waters  of  the 
Tauana  bring  down  the  finest  logs  of  this  species  in  the  spring 
freshets.  The  number  of  logs  discharged  annually  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Yukon  is  truly  incalculable. 

The  tret)  of  the  next  importance  is  the  birch.  This  tree  rare?y  grows 
over  forty  feet  high  and  eighteen  inches  in  diameter.  It  is  the  jnly 
liard  wood  found  in  the  Yukon  territory,  and  everything  requiriig  a 
hard  and  tough  wood  (sleighs,  snowshoes,  etc.)  is  constructed  ci  bi'-ch. 
A  black  birch  is  also  found  here,  but  it  is  too  small  to  be  of  much  use. 

There  are  also  several  species  of  poplar.  One  of  these,  the  balsam 
poplar,  grows  to  a  very  large  size,  frequently  attaining  a  height  of  sixty 
or  seventy  feet  and  a  diameter  of  two  or  three  feet.  The  wood  of  this 
tree,  however,  is  too  soft  to  be  of  much  importance. 

Willows  and  alder  are  more  generally  distributed  than  any  other  variety 
of  treeSo  Along  every  creek  in  this  territory  one  finds  these  species  in 
great  abundance,  varying  from  ten  to  fifty  feet  in  height,  but  rarely 
exceeding  four  or  five  inches  in  diameter.  The  wood  of  these  trees  is 
practically  useless,  being  rotten  at  the  heart,  although  the  inner  bark 
of  the  willow  was  much  used  by  the  natives  in  making  twine  for  nets 
and  seines  before  they  could  purchase  twine  from  the  commercial  com- 
panies now  trading  on  the  river. 

Other  species  of  timber  rising  to  the  rank  of  trees  in  this  district  are 
the  larch  and  some  dwarf  species  of  pine — not  of  such  importance,  how- 
ever, as  to  warrant  classification  in  this  report,  the  woods  being  used 
for  fuel  when  no  other  timber  can  be  easily  reached  by  the  traveler. 

The  treeless  coasts  of  the  territory,  as  well  as  the  lowlands  of  the 
Yukon,  are  covered  in  the  springtime  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  grass 
and  flowers.    Among  the  more  valuable  of  the  grasses  is  the  well- 


g 

) 


382 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


known  Kentucky  blue  grass,  which  covers  millions  of  acres  in  the  Yukon 
flat  lands,  and  grows  luxuriantly  even  as  far  north  as  the  Peel  liiver. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  pasture  grasses  known,  as  it  endures 
the  most  rigorous  winter  as  easily  as  the  drought  of  a  tropical  summer, 
and  is  without  doubt  more  nutritious  than  any  other  species  of  grass. 
It  is  on  this  grass  that  the  settler  who  determines  to  combine  agricul- 
ture with  any  other  pursuit  will  depend  for  his  supply  of  hay  for  win- 
ter feeding. 

The  wood-meadow  grass,  which  in  nutritive  properties  is  akin  to  the 
Kentucky  blue  grass,  is  also  very  abundant,  aud  would  furnish  cattle 
with  an  agreeable  and  fattening  pasturage. 

The  blue-joint  grass  also  reaches  as  far  north  as  the  Peel  Eiver  lati- 
tude, and  grows  Avith  a  marvelous  luxuriance.  It  reaches,  in  favorable 
situations,  three  or  four  feet  in  height,  and  may  be  used  advantageously 
in  the  feeding  of  cattle. 

Many  other  grasses  grow  abundantly  and  contribute  largely  to  the 
sum  total  of  herbage  Two  species  of  southern  lyme  grass  are  found 
in  the  Yukon  district  that  almost  deceive  the  traveler  with  the  aspect 
of  grain  fields,  maturing  a  perceptible  kernel  which  the  small  rodenta 
lay  up  in  store  for  winter  use. 

Grain  has  never  been  sown  to  any  extent  in  this  district.  Barley  has 
been  tried  at  Fort  Selkirk,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Pelly  liiver,  iu  small 
I)atches,  and  in  the  early  days  at  Fort  Yukon,  and  there  was  success 
at  both  places  in  maturing  tlio  grain,  although  at  both  the  straw  was 
very  short.  Grain  sowing  has  never  reached  beyond  the  experimental 
stage,  but  these  experiments  have  proved  conclusively  that  grain  could 
be  grown  in  the  Yukon  Valley,  and  in  abundance.  It  can  be  safely 
averred  that  sufficient  grain  can  be  grown  in  this  district  to  supply  the 
home  demand  for  cattle  feed,  if  enough  energy  is  devoted  to  agriculture. 

Turnips  and  radishes  flourish  exceedingly  well  all  along  the  river 
from  Fort  Selkirk  to  St.  ]\Ii(!haels.  The  white,  round  turnips,  grown  in 
this  district  from  imported  seed,  are  as  fine  as  can  be  found  anywhere, 
and  are  very  large,  some  weighing  as  much  as  six  or  seven  pounds. 
They  are  crisp  aud  sweet,  although  the  very  large  ones  ai'e  hollow- 
hearted. 

Potato  growing  is  an  established  success.  Kearly  every  trading  post 
along  the  river  has  its  own  little  potato  patch,  and  although  the  tubers 
are  small,  they  are  of  very  fine  quality.  Care  must  be  taken,  however, 
that  the  seed  potatoes  are  not  frozen  iu  the  winter. 

Salad  growing  is  very  successful.  (Cauliflowers  of  huge  size  may  be 
grown  if  the  seed  is  planted  in  shallow  boxes  in  the  houses  atid  the 
plants  not  transplanted  into  the  open  ground  until  the  summer  is  well 
advanced.  These  plants  mature  very  I'apidly,  and  well  repay  the  little 
attention  given  them. 

Cabbage  will  flonrish  under  like  conditions,  and  large  heads  of  tliis 
esculent  vegetable  will  bo  the  result  of  a  little  timely  care. 


Tomato 
seeds  are 
the  groui 
vegetable 
just  what 

With  B 
abutulanc 
tection  ii 
parts  of 
abundant 

As  mig 
suitable  fi 
profusion, 
berries,  h 
thimble  b 
berries,  a; 
very  pleai 
flavor  bei 
combined 
the  Kussi 
edible  qu; 
pi(iuant  a 
natives  ai 
to  the  ete 

It.  is  of 
become  ar 
will  be  ab 
called  her 
or  gold,  ni 
table  if  h( 
opportuni 
of  the  cha 
alone,  if  h 
cattle,  gal 
the  flat  1; 
which  ho 

In  sum 
may  be  st 
good  qual 
and  barle 
careful,  s, 
often  falls 
fully  75  pi 
culture,  a 
climatic  c( 
erable  am 


THE    ALASKAN    G(1LD    FIELDS. 


383 


Tomatoes  have  not  been  grown,  so  far  sis  can  be  learned,  but  if  the 
seeds  are  sown  in  boxes  in  the  house  and  tlie  jdants  are  not  i)ut  into 
the  ground  until  they  are  of  good  size,  there  is  no  reason  why  this 
vegetable  should  not  tlourish  in  this  region,  as  the  hot,  dry  suninier  is 
just  what  the  tomato  requires. 

With  such  ii  variety  of  feed  as  may  be  grown  in  this  district  in 
abundance,  there  is  absolutely  no  reason  why  cattle,  with  proper  pro- 
tection in  winter,  can  not  be  successfully  raised  and  kei)t  in  most 
parts  of  the  Yukon  Valley,  fodder,  as  previously  shown,  being  so 
abundant. 

As  might  be  supposed,  there  are  no  tree  fruits  in  the  Yukon  Valley 
suitable  for  food,  but  small  fruits  of  many  varieties  are  found  in  great 
profusion.  Among  these  may  be  noticed  red  and  black  currants,  goose- 
berries, high  and  low  bush  cranberries,  raspberries,  salmon  berries, 
thimble  berries,  killikinnick  berries,  blue  berries,  moss  berries,  Juniper 
berries,  and  rose  berries.  The  latter,  when  touched  by  frost,  form  a 
very  pleasant  addition  to  a  somewhat  scanty  stock  of  comestibles,  tlie 
flavor  being  an  admixture  of  those  of  the  crabapple  and  persimmon 
combined.  All  those  berries,  except  the  salmon  berry,  or  Morosky  of 
the  Russians,  are  excellent  antiscorbutics  and  possess,  besides  their 
edible  qualities,  other  medicinal  virtues.  From  many  of  them  the  niost 
pi(iuant  and  delicious  pr  serves  are  prepared  by  the  better  educated 
natives  and  the  white  pop  ilation,  and  they  form  an  excellent  adjunct 
to  the  eternal  diet  of  flsh,  game,  etc. 

Tt  is  of  course  highly  improbable  that  the  Yukon  territory  will 
become  an  entirely  self-supporting  agi'icultural  district,  or  that  anyone 
will  be  able  to  obtain  a  subsistence  by  farming  alone;  still  the  settler 
called  hero  to  develop  the  resources  of  the  country,  be  they  lisli,  furs, 
or  gold,  may  have  fresh  milk  in  his  coffee  and  fresh  vegetables  on  his 
table  if  he  possess  the  energy  aiid  knowledge  to  make  the  most  of  liis 
opportunities.  It  will  not  bo  necessary  for  him  to  rely  on  tlie  i)n)(lu(^ts 
of  the  chase  or  the  importation  of  food  stuffs  by  the  trading  conii)anies 
alone,  if  he  will  but  take  the  care  to  provide  suitable  shelter  for  his 
cattle,  gather  for  their  winter  fodder  the  perennial  grasses  wliich  cover 
the  flat  lands  and  river  bottoms,  or  uncover  the  abundant  root  crop 
which  he  has  had  energy  and  forethought  enough  to  cultivate. 

In  summing  up  the  agricultural  resources  of  the  Yukon  Valley,  it 
may  be  stated  that  its  abundant  capacity  for  producing  root  crops  of 
good  quality  and  large  quantity  may  be  considered  as  settled.  Oats 
and  barley,  i)ossibly  wheat  and  lye,  may  be  successfully  laised  under 
careful,  systematic  cultivation.  In  Iceland,  where  the  teniperature 
often  falls  as  low  as  35  or  40  degrees  below  zero,  it  is  well  known  that 
fully  75  per  cent  of  the  population  derive  their  maintenance  from  agri- 
culture, and  there  is  no  reason  why  the  Yukon  territory,  where  the 
climatic  conditions  are  not  less  favorable,  should  not  supply  a  consid- 
erable amount  of  garden  produce  after  proper  preparation  of  the  soil. 


384 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


Nof  withstanding  tlio  extremely  rigorous  winters  of  tlie  Yukon  district, 
it  is  essentially  a  Lealtbful  country,  the  only  iirovailing  diseases  being 
tlioao  of  a  pulmonary  nature,  and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  the  natives 
are  the  only  ones  afflicted.  Kheuraatism  is  somewhat  common  among 
the  white  population,  but  this  is  undoubtedly  caused  by  extreme 
exi)osure.  Scurvy,  contrary  to  general  opinion,  is  not  prevalent,  the 
only  cases  that  have  come  under  notice  having  been  the  result  of  cul- 
pable negligence  of  ordinary  cleanliness,  lack  of  proper  food,  or  an 
inadequate  amount  of  outdoor  exercise.  A  jMiculiar  form  of  fever  of  a 
typhomalarial  type  is  found  in  the  more  thickly  settled  districts,  but 
this  is  of  a  certainty  due  to  the  want  of  the  most  ordinary  sanitary 
measures.  Deep  drains  and  a  consistent  amount  of  precaution  will 
entirely  dissipate  the  pestilential  prevalence  of  this  endemic  disease. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  Yukon  basin  offers  a  much  more  diversi- 
fied field  for  enterprise  than  is  popularly  supposed,  and  it  i^  quite 
within  the  bounds  of  established  fact  to  say  that  100,000  people  can  find 
remunerative  employment  and  a  fairly  comfortable  existence  in  this 
region  as  soon  as  the  means  of  transportation  of  food  supplies  shall 
justify  so  large  a  movement  of  population. 

While  society  on  the  Yukon,  like  the  geological  formation,  is  as  yet 
a  sort  of  conglomerate,  it  is  rapidly  becoming  stratified,  and  although 
the  towns  lack  many  of  the  comforts  and  conveniences  that  make  life 
in  the  highest  sense  enjoyable,  they  are  by  no  means  social  barrens, 
for  there  are  among  the  inhabitants  a  large  number  of  men  of  culture 
and  refinement  whose  firesides  are  adorned  by  as  charming  representa- 
tives of  American  womanhood  as  can  be  found  in  localities  much  more 
favored  iu  other  respects. 

BUSINESS  OUTLOOK,  OPPOKTUNITIES   FOR  LABOR,   ETC. 

There  is  no  man  in  the  Yukon  basin  who  lias  a  more  comprehensive 
understanding  of  the  abnormal  conditions  existing  there  than  Oapt. 
John  J.  Healey,  iUanager  of  the  North  American  Transportation  and 
Trading  Company.  Captain  Healey,  who  for  many  years  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Fort  Benton,  Mont.,  has  had  a  varied  experience  on  the  frontier, 
and  has  proved  his  courage  on  many  occasions,  from  encounters  with 
the  Blackfeet  and  Piegans  to  engagements,  as  sheriff  of  Choteau 
County,  with  Missouri  River  and  Yellowstone  "  rustlers."  He  entered 
this  field  in  1892,  as  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  great  company  of  which 
he  is  now  manager,  having  previously  for  six  years  been  a  partner  in 
the  trading  post  of  Healey  &  Wilson,  at  Dyea.  No  better  text  for  this 
chapter  could  be  chosen  than  the  following  statement,  which  was  taken 
stenographically  from  Captain  Healey,  at  Dawson,  on  September 
25,  1897: 

In  regard  to  the  business  outlook  of  this  country,  I  would  say  that 
people  who  are  organizing  to  come  here  to  engage  in  commercial  enter- 
prises should  understand  that  it  takes  two  years'  capital  to  do  one  year's 


business. 

Such  persi 

get  here  1 

and  have 

great. 
There  is 

prices  hen 
lar's  wortl 
have  to  ca 
many  peoj 
kind.  'Vt 
ourselves. 
In  my  o\ 
is  mineral 
southeaste 
Ocean,  it  i 
will  find  I 
under  prc< 
to  supply  i 
be  first  ut 
roads  fr  .n 
into  '  he  h  < 
Alaskaii  li 
whether  m 
building  tl 
here  and  u 
coming  i)a( 

There  is 
the  (ioveri 
mulated  n 
to-day  are 
mouth  of  t 
tion  consis 
dition  of  t 
until  we  ci 
httle  mone 
to  do  soni 
agencies  o: 
Indians  in 
tliis  can  b( 
to  cut  trail 
the  lower 
cost  would 
tobacco,  ai 
companies, 
of  great  I 
present  coi 
Indians  fa 
the  mines, 
mining,  pt 
pound  for  i 

In  regari 
dance  of  lo 
Minook,  St 
port  thonsi 
There  are 


THK    ALASKAN    GOLD    FlI  I  US. 


386 


ETC. 


business.  Tbov  can  not  como  in  lieio  and  secure  returns  in  one  year. 
Such  persons  should  also  understand  that  they  ciin  not  build  boats  and 
get  here  the  same  year.  Wo  have  tried  it  three  yoars  in  succession 
and  have  failed  each  time.  The  ditticulties  to  be  overcome  are  too 
great. 

There  is  another  point  to  be  taken  iuto  consideration  in  comparing 
l)rices  hero  with  those  outside,  and  that  is  that  wo  can  not  cfVec^t  a  dol- 
lar's worth  of  luiirineor  fire  insurance  this  side  of  St.  Michaels.  We 
have  to  carry  our  own  marine,  Are,  and  ice  risks  on  the  Yukon,  and  not 
many  people  are  willing  to  put  their  capital  into  enterprises  of  this 
kind.  'Ve  are  carrying  our  own  insurance  because  wo  can  not  help 
ourselves.    Of  course  we  insure  on  salt  water  as  far  as  we  can. 

In  my  opinion  there  is  a  good  field  for  day  labor  in  the  country.  There 
is  mineral  of  all  kinds  from  coast  to  coast.  Take  Alaska  from  the 
southeastern  coast,  skirting  around  the  JJering  Sea  and  the  Arctic 
Ocean,  it  is  all  a  mineral  range.  You  can  not  go  anywhere  but  you 
will  find  minerals  of  ail  kinds.  The  trouble  is  in  furnishing  supplies 
under  present  conditions.  The  country  is  so  vast  that  it  will  take  years 
to  supply  it  vrith  food  stations.  The  navigable  streams,  it  is  true,  will 
be  first  utilized;  but  both  Governments  must  organize  a  system  of 
roads  fr  .u  these  streams  into  the  interior.  They  must  construct  roads 
iuto  'he  l.ockies  on  the  north  and  east  side  of  tlie  Inkon  and  into  the 
Alaskiij.  itange  on  the  south  and  west.  If  we  had  a  force  of  people, 
whether  military,  police,  or  engineers,  that  would  devote  their  tinie  to 
building  these  trails  and  roads,  I  think  the  reindeer  could  be  introduced 
here  and  utilized  to  good  advantage.  I  believe  the  reindeer  will  be  the 
coming  i)ack  horse  of  this  country. 

There  is  another  thing  to  which  I  would  like  to  call  the  attention  of 
the  (lovernment.  I  have  thought  it  over  often,  but  have  not  yet  for- 
mulated my  suggestions.  The  most  destitute  native  race  on  earth 
to  day  are  the  Indians  on  the  lower  Yukon.  For  300  miles  fi'om  tho 
month  of  that  stream  the  principal  subsistence  of  the  native  popula- 
tion consists  of  tish  and  oil.  As  you  coaie  higher  .ip  the  river  the  con- 
dition of  the  Indians  improves.  They  were  in  a  wretched  condition 
until  we  came  iuto  the  country  and  gave  them  an  opportunity  to  earn  a 
little  money  by  cutting  wood  for  our  steamers.  Our  "Government  ought 
to  do  something  for  those  Indians.  I  am  not  an  advocate  of  Indian 
agencies  or  anything  of  that  kind.  1  do  not  believe  in  keeping  the 
Indians  in  idleness,  but  the  Government  can  utilize  their  services,  and 
tiiis  can  be  done  by  making  mail  carriers  of  them  and  employing  them 
to  cut  trails,  and  a  native  military  organization  might  be  established  in 
the  lower  Yukon  country.  They  are  the  best  workers  on  earth,  and  the 
cost  would  be  insignificant.  All  they  want  is  a  little  Hour,  tea,  and 
tobacco,  and  these  can  be  laid  down  very  cheaply  by  the  transportation 
companies.  Such  a  utilization  of  the  services  of  these  people  would  be 
of  great  benefit  not  only  to  them  but  to  the  Government.  Under 
present  conditions  many  of  them  die  of  starvation  every  winter.  The 
Indians  farther  up  the  river  are  better  oif,  because  they  work  around 
the  mines.  They  have  abandoned  the  fur  trade  and  are  engaged  in 
mining,  packinp.  and  hunting.  They  cm  get  from  50  to  76  cents  a 
pound  for  all  th^  «*me  they  kill. 

In  regard  to  ti.««  outlook  in  Alaska,  I  will  say  that  there  is  an  abun- 
dance of  low-grade  diggings  in  that  country  at  Forty  Mile,  Birch  Creek, 
Minook,  Seventy  Mil<  Goal  Creek,  and  American  ('reek  that  will  sup- 
port thousands  of  men  when  they  are  ready  to  work  for  $7  or  $8  a  day. 
There  are  large  tracts  of  ctiuntry  that  will  pay  those  wages.    In  some 


386 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


of  tbo  claims  they  can  work  but  three  months  in  the  year,  while  in 
others  tliey  can  work  all  the  year  round.  In  the  mines  where  they 
grouiid-sluioe  the  season  is  sometimes  quite  short,  bnt  in  the  dritt  dig- 
gings, which  are  above  water  line,  they  can  work  the  year  round. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  there  is  room  here,  in  work  and  prospecting, 
for  all  the  idle  miners  in  the  United  States.  A  great  many  of  them 
will  be  disgusted  when  they  come  here  and  will  not  remain  and  pros- 
pect ou  aooonnt  of  the  radical  change  from  the  conditions  to  which  they 
have  been  accustomed.  They  have  to  be  able-bodied  and  act  as  their 
own  pack  horsOvS,  and  of  the  men  who  have  been  used  to  riding  a  cayusc 
through  the  mountains  and  taking  a  pack  animal  with  them  not  one  in 
ten  will  stay  in  tins  country,  wading  through  the  muck,  brush,  and 
moss  and  fighting  the  mosquitoes.  In  order  to  succeed  here  a  mun 
must  have  an  iron  nerve  and  constitution,  and  those  who  are  not  so 
constituted  should  remain  away.  It  is  going  to  require  slow,  hard 
prosptMjting  to  develop  our  resources.  You  can  not  see  anything; 
everything  is  covered  by  moss,  vegetation,  and  brush.  There  are  no 
prairies,  but  it  is  all  an  undergrowth  of  brush  and  timber.  ■  The  country 
has  not  been  xn-ospected  at  all  as  it  should  be.  Prospectors  follow  u)) 
the  rivers  in  boats  as  long  as  they  can,  and  if  they  leave  their  boats  at 
all  it  is  only  for  a  day,  with  a  little  lunch  on  their  backs,  so  that  they 
can  get  biwik  to  their  supplies.  That  is  the  only  kind  of  prospecting  that 
has  been  done.  There  is  not  a  man  in  the  country  who  knows  what  is 
back  from  the  river  a  hundred  miles;  there  is  not  a  man  li\'ing  that 
has  been  back  a  hundred  miles  from  this  water  course  to  engage  in 
8yst«'matic  prospecting. 

There  is  coal  down  about  Cudahy  and  ten  miles  from  there.  There 
is  a  five-foot  vein  of  line  coking  coal  within  eighteen  miles  of  here, 
about  eight  or  ten  miles  from  the  river.  There  is  coal  on  the  American 
side,  about  fifty  miles  above  Circle  City.  There  is  also  coal  below 
Circle  City,  near  the  Tanana. 

Copper,  asbestos,  antimony,  and  galena  abound,  and  there  is  a  good 
deal  of  low-grade,  base  ore  in  the  country.  I  have  not  ncen  any  free- 
milling  gold  ore  yet.  In  time,  wheu  labor  and  provisions  beconie 
cheaper  and  the  transportation  companies  can  lay  down  supplies  at 
reasonables  prices,  these  low-grade  ores  are  going  to  give  em,/ioyment 
to  a  great  many  miners.  My  opinion  is  that  Alaska  ajid  the  NorthMes*^ 
Tenitory  Avithin  lifty  years  will  produce  more  minerals  than  all  tlu- 
otlicr  mineral  regions  of  the  country  put  together.  1  may  be  visionary, 
but  this  is  my  opinion,  based  on  personal  observation.  The  Tanana 
Valley  will  astonish  the  world  even  more  than  the  Klondike  has. 
That  is  the  gi'cat  copper  district.  The  mines  thatcan  give  employment 
to  large  numbers  of  men  for  long  periods  of  time  are  the  ones  from  which 
the  country  reaps  the  most  substantial  benefits. 

About  the  labor  question.  I  have  had  a  great  many  men  make  a])pli- 
cation  to  me  for  assistance,  saying  that  they  were  broke  and  wanted  to 
secure  an  outtlt  for  the  winter.  This  was  early  in  the  season,  a  month 
or  six  weeks  ago.  I  said  to  them,  "Why  d<ni'tyou  go  to  work?"  They 
replied,  "Well,  we  don't  want  to  work  for  wnges;  Ave  want  to  work  on 
a  lay."  The  wagesin  the  mines  are  $15  aday,  and  the  wages  of  laborers 
are  $10  a  day,  and  1  told  them  that  tliey  could  go  to  work  for  wage« 
and  in  thirty  days  have  enough  to  buy  an  outfit  for  a  year;  but  still 
they  would  not  go  to  work.  1  thouglit  I  would  stop  the  thing.  A  few 
friends  of  mine  liave  some  claims,  and  they  wanted  some  men  at  $10  a 
day  to  work  them;  so  I  ])ut  up  a  notice,  "  Kight  or  ten  men  wanted; 
wages,  $10  a  day."    You  know  the  claim  owners  have  decided  on  pay- 


ing a  dol 
to  sleep  i 
I  have  ha 
to-day. 

I  advisi 
use  in  tr 
There  is 
dust  chai 
so  that  a 
bullion;  t 
have  the 
him  our  c 

Captain 
tion  of  all 
commercij 
hidden  trt 
There  a 
radically  \ 
of  cominei 
companies 
on  accouni 
ligures  on 
the  conqia 
of  freight 
of  account 
trail  sporta 
charge  of  : 
per  ton,  ai 
the  2,930 
illustratioi 
from   San 
m  a  them  at  i 
chandise  i 
but  the  fl( 
If  it  be  SH{ 
goods,  druj 
much  of  Av 
reply  is  thi 
manding  a: 
pound  to 
])rice  name 
to  $2,0j1,0« 
iiierchandi^ 
)J'.")S<>,0()0. 
allowing  $i 
lishments, 
receipts  wt 
expenses. 


THE    ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


387. 


ike  ai)i)li 
anle<l  to 

a  month 
!"    They 

work  (HI 
'  hvboiorri 
or  wagt'« 

but  Btill 
A  few 

at  f  10  11 

wanted ; 
(I  on  pay- 


ing a  dollar  an  honr  from  the  Istof  October,  furnishing  the  men  cabins 
to  sleep  in,  the  miuerg  furnishing  their  own  food.  The  first  applicatiou 
I  have  had  to  work  for  $10  a  day,  iu  response  to  that  notice,  came  in 
today. 

I  advise  the  bringing  in  of  silver  coin.  It  is  the  medium  which  people 
use  in  traveling,  in  paying  the  Indians  for  their  little  services,  etc. 
There  is  not  a  man  traveling  who  does  not  want  an  ounce  or  two  of 
dust  changed  into  silver.  Each  Government  ought  to  have  an  assayer, 
so  that  a  man  could  take  his  gold  dust  to  him  and  have  it  run  into 
bullion;  then  that  man  could  come  to  us  with  his  gold,  which  would 
hare  the  stamp  of  one  of  the  Governments  on  it,  and  Ave  could  give 
him  our  check  for  it. 

Captain  Ilealey's  statement  is  commended  to  the  careful  considera- 
tion of  all  who  contemjjlate  coming  to  this  country  either  to  engage  iu 
commercial  enterprises  or  to  participate  in  the  uncertain  pursuit  of 
hidden  treasui'e. 

There  are  very  many  intelligent  and  practical  men  here  who  difter 
radically  with  Captain  Healey  as  to  the  difficulties  and  unprofitableness 
of  commercial  enterprises  on  the  Yukon.  The  representatives  of  both 
companies  claim  thJit  neither  made  any  money  during  the  past  season 
on  account  of  their  ill  success  in  getting  freight  to  Dawson.  A  few 
figures  on  this  point  may  be  suggestive.  As  stated  by  the  agents  of 
the  companies,  and  as  verified  by  reference  to  the  manifests,  2,030  tons 
of  freight  were  landed  in  Dawson  during  the  season.  In  their  system 
of  accounts  a  charge  of  $75  per  ton,  approximately,  is  made  against 
transportation  from  San  Francisco  and  Seattle  to  St.  Michaels,  and  a 
charge  of  $60  per  ton  fron\  St.  Michaels  to  Dawson,  or  a  total  of  $135 
per  ton,  and  a  grand  total  of  $395,550  as  the  cost  of  transportatioTi  for 
the  2,930  tons  carried.  It  will  be  assumed,  for  the  purpose  of  tlds 
illustration,  that  the  $395,550  covered  all  expenses  of  transportation 
from  San  Francisco  and  Seattle  to  Dawson.  It  is  susceptible  of 
mathematical  den)onstration  that  the  average  selling  2)rice  of  nil  mer- 
chandise is  not  less  than  35  cents  per  pound  (it  is  greater  than  that, 
but  the  figure  given  will  suflice  for  this  illustration),  or  §700  ])er  ton. 
If  it  be  suggested  that  much  of  this  tonnage  consisted  of  clothing,  dry 
goods,  drugs,  etc.,  a  largo  proportion  of  which  becomes  dead  stock,  and 
intich  of  which  can  not  be  treated  on  the  basis  of  weight,  an  adeiiuate 
reply  is  that  such  portion  of  this  class  of  merchandise  as  is  sold  (com- 
uianding  as  it  does  from  200  to  1,000  per  cent  profit)  brings  prices  per 
pound  to  a  figure  more  properly  stated  in  dollars  than  cents.  At  the 
])rice  named,  $700  per  ton,  tiie  gross  receipts  for  the  2,030  tons  amount 
to  $2,051,000.  We  will  now  assume  the  first  cost  of  the  2,930  tons  of 
merchandise  was  10  cents  per  pound,  or  $200  per  toji,  which  gives  us 
^580,000.  Adding  this  sum  to  the  exi)enses  of  transportation,  and 
allowing  $2<X),(K)0  for  the  cost  of  administration  of  the  Dawson  estab- 
lishments, we  have  $1,181,550.  and  subtrftcting  this  from  the  gross 
receipts  we  find  that  the  net  rw-eipts,  atTer  paying  all  operating 
expenses,  amount  to  $809,450.     As  the  business  is  conducted  on  a 


I 


888 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


Strictly  cash  basis,  we  do  not  have  to  consider  bad  debts;  but  if  it  be 
suggested  that  we  have  overlooked  breakage,  wastage,  and  incidental 
expenses,  we  may  be  able  to  dispose  of  these  in  this  manner:  We  will 
assume  thiit  fifty  tons  of  liquors  were  landed  in  Dawson  (it  was  much 
more  than  that),  and  allowing  ten  pounds  to  the  gallon,  including 
packing,  we  find  that  this  amounts  to  10,000  gallons,  which  at  $17  per 
gallon  gives  a  total  of  $170,000.  Deducting  from  this  $35,000,  a  sum 
we  have  alrea<ly  used  in  our  ."  "^putation  of  $700  per  ton  for  merchan- 
dise, it  leaves  $135,000  to  er  breakage,  wastage,  and  incidental 
exj)enses.  In  this  calculation  we  have  taken  no  account  of  the  cost  of 
plant,  which  is  placed  by  the  companies  at  $400,000,  assuming  that 
this  will  be  taken  <;are  of  out  of  the  profits  on  the  2,000  or  more  tons 
of  freight  landed  at  Forty  Mile,  Circle  City,  Fort  Yukon,  and  Minook, 
all  of  which  is  being  sold  at  prices  approximating  those  charged  in 
Dawson.  No  consideration  has  been  given  to  St.  Michaels  and  sta- 
tions on  the  river  other  than  those  named,  as  they  are  all  assumed  to 
be  self-supporting.  While  this  showing  of  results  for  Dawson,  judged 
by  Klondike  standards,  may  not  be  considered  magnificent,  it  is  cer- 
tainly pretty  good  for  a  bad  year.  That  the  miners  of  the  Klondike 
are  able  to  stand  this  drain,  supplemented  by  the  still  more  extortion- 
ate charges  of  conscienceless  speculators,  and  yet  send  out  of  the 
country  enough  gold  to  astonisli  the  world,  indicates  that  the  richness 
of  their  mines  has  not  been  greatly  exaggerated.  •  These  figures,  which 
can  be  applied  as  well  to  the  Forty  Mile  and  Birch  Creek  mines,  also 
show  why  the  miners  of  those  two  districts,  although  they  have  for 
years  been  taking  out  large  quantities  of  gold  dust,  have  never  been 
able  to  send  enough  of  it  to  civilization  to  impress  the  world  with  the 
richness  of  their  mines. 

An  experienced  river  man  here  has  made  the  following  statement: 
"  I  could  buy  300  tons  of  bacon  in  Seattle  at  8  cents  per  pound,  or  a 
total  cost  of  $48,000.  I  could  construct  a  knock-down  steamboat  of 
300  tons  for  $30,000,  and  on  the  basis  of  $18  per  ton  could  land  my 
steamer  and  bacon  at  St.  Michaels  for  $10,000.  It  would  cost  probably 
$10,000  more  to  put  the  steamer  tt)gether,  making  her  total  cost 
$40,000.  I  might  not  bo  able  to  get  up  the  river  the  same  year,  but  I 
could  surely  get  up  the  following  summer.  Allowing  for  an  expendi- 
ture of  $350  a  day  lor  twenty  days  from  St.  Michaels  to  Dawson,  the 
cost  of  transportation  on  the  river  would  amount  to  $7,000.  My  total 
expenses,  therefore,  would  be  $105,000.  If  I  could  sell  my  bacon  for 
40  cents  per  pound,  the  price  at  present  charged  by  the  companies,  my 
gross  receipts  would  be  $240,000.  I  could  then  set  fire  to  my  steamer 
and  turn  her  loose  in  the  river  and  still  make  over  100  per  cent  on  my 
original  investment,  with  $30,000  to  spare  for  contingencies." 

Whil«  the  above  figures  would  indicate  that  there  are  great  oppor- 
tunities to  make  largo  profits  in  con)mercial  enterprises  on  the  river,  it 
should  be  borne  in  mind,  as  Captain  Ilealey  states,  that  the  risks  and 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


389 


difficulties  are  very  great,  and  that  it  is  necessary  to  wait  two  years 
for  returns,  while  it  is  quite  likely  that  so  mauy  will  enter  the  field 
that  competition  will  reduce  the  profits  tx)  a  narrow  margin.  No  organ- 
ization with  less  than  $100,000  of  capital  could  hope  under  present 
conditions  to  successfully  conii)ete  with  the  companies  already  estab- 
lished. 

The  most  successful  ventures  during  the  past  year,  outside  of  the 
operations  of  the  companies  and  the  mines,  have  been  in  tlio  importa- 
tion of  beef  cattle  and  sheep.  Altogether  about  3.)0  head  of  cattle  and 
1,550  head  of  sheep  were  brought  over  the  trails  and  down  the  river  to 
Dawson,  and  all  who  engaged  in  the  enterprise  made  mojiey,  as  they 
sold  their  beef  and  mutton  at  prices  which  averaged  $1  i)er  pound.  It 
should  be  stated,  however,  that  the  season  was  extremely  favorable, 
both  as  to  its  length  and  the  condition  of  the  streams,  which  had  to  be 
forded.  If  the  water  had  been  high  in  the  streams  a  large  number  of 
cattle  would  undoubtedly  have  been  lost  iu  swimming  them.  One 
drover  reports  that  iu  crossing  the  Ohilkat  Pi  'er  he  was  forced  to  sit 
helplessly  on  his  horse  and  see  his  herd  of  eignty-five  cattle  disappear 
in  tlie  quicksand  until  in  many  cases  only  their  heads  were  visible. 
Fortunately,  the  quicksand  was  shallow,  and  the  cattle  were  rescued 
by  means  of  lariats,  but  in  an  exhausted  condition,  which  rendered  it 
necessary  to  allow  them  several  days'  rest.  This  drover  finally  reached 
Dawson  with  sixty  head,  leaving  lost  twenty  and  sold  five  on  the  way. 
In  addition  to  the  risks  involved,  the  expenses  attending  such  under- 
takings were  very  heavy.  A  large  number  of  horses  were  necessary, 
and  although  the  men  employed  on  the  coast  were  engaged  at  reasona- 
ble wages  for  the  trip,  many  of  them  deserted  at  vaiious  points,  com- 
pelling the  employment  of  others  at  $10  a  day,  and  even  larger  wages 
in  some  cases.  Some  of  the  drovers  were  four  or  five  months  on  the 
way,  and  all  this  time  of  course  were  under  a  heavy  expense  in  the  mat- 
ter of  wages  and  subsistence.  It  is  noteworthy,  as  showing  the  uncer- 
tainty in  the  minds  of  the  drovers  as  to  the  prices  they  would  be  able 
to  secure  at  Dawson,  that  two  of  them  who  had  their  herds  at  Fort 
Selkirk  about  the  middle  of  September,  awaiting  cold  weather  before 
slaughtering,  were  willing  and  anxious  to  sell  at  HO  cents  per  pound  by 
t)ie  (piarter  to  people  passing  down  the  river,  although,  as  subsequently 
learned,  beef  was  selling  for  $1  and  $1.25  per  jiound  at  Dawson,  only 
100  miles  below  Fort  Selkirk. 

Many  small  traders  nmde  money  during  the  summer  by  bringing  in 
over  the  trails  and  down  the  river  small  stocks  of  goods  which  brought 
lai-ge  prices,  this  being  particularly  true  of  diamonds  and  watches, 
which  sold  at  prices  that  yielded  a  i)rofit  of  from  100  to  150  ])er  cent; 
wolf  and  bear  robes,  which  cost  from  $40  to  $50  in  Seattle  and  sold  here 
for  from  $150  to  $260;  cow  boy  hats,  costing  $4  in  the  States  and  selling 
in  (iertain  circles  for  $17,  and  many  other  articles  in  like  proportion. 
Others  did  not  do  so  well,  some  even  being  forced  to  sell  at  prices 
4584— No.  IG 7 


1 


390 


BULLETIN    OF    TPIE    DEPARTMENT    OF    LABOR. 


wJiioli  yielded  no  i)roflt  whatever.  A  largo  number  of  men  have  gone 
out  over  the  trail  this  winter  (1897-98)  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  in 
goods  of  various  kinds,  but  us  it  is  impossible  for  anyone  to  foresee  what 
lines  will  be  scarce,  this  species  of  gambling  is  about  as  uncertain  as 
speculating  on  the  stock  exchange. 

At  first  thought  it  would  seem  that  there  ought  to  be  an  immense 
profit  in  freighting  for  $2  per  pound,  the  price  offered  in  October  for  the 
transportation  of  supplies  from  Fort  Yukon  to  Dawson.  The  recital  of 
one  man's  experience  in  such  work  during  the  past  fall,  with  the  view 
of  showing  the  risks  involved  in  such  undertakings,  may  bo  of  interest 
to  the  general  reader  and  instructive  to  those  who  contemplate  embark- 
ing in  similar  enterprises.  About  the  middle  of  October  the  loading 
packer  of  Dawson,  who  had  been  engaged  during  the  summer  in  i)ack- 
ing  to  the  mines,  found  that  it  would  be  necessary,  owing  to  the  scarcity 
of  supplies  and  the  consequent  falling  off  of  business,  to  Avitlidraw 
some  of  his  horses  from  the  trail,  and  as  the  lack  of  feed  made  it  imprac- 
ticable to  emi>loy  them  in  other  work,  ho  decided  to  take  them  to  Fort 
Yukon  in  scows  and  engage  in  freighting  from  that  point  as  soon  as  the 
ice  should  form.  On  the  announcement  of  his  intention  ho  was  over- 
whelmed by  tenders  of  $3  per  pound,  in  advance,  for  all  the  freight  ho 
could  bring  back,  and  as  he  could  transport  1,200  pouiuls  to  tlie  animal 
it  was  quite  clear  that  under  favorable  conditions  his  gross  eainings 
would  amount  to  the  comfortable  sum  of  $21,000;  but  with  a  wisdom 
born  of  four  years'  experience  in  the  business,  he  declined  to  enter  into 
any  agreement,  jjreferring  not  to  run  the  risk  of  facing  the  holders  of 
broken  contracts.  On  October  22  he  left  Dawson  with  nine  head  of 
horses,  loaded  in  scows,  and  in  charge  of  five  men,  one  of  whom  was 
engaged  at  $350  per  month  and  the  others  at  $200  per  month  apiece 
and  subsistence.  Uis  horses  were  worth  at  least  $225  apiece,  as  he 
could  have  sold  them  for  that  price  for  dog  meat,  and  he  had  purchased 
three  scows  at  an  aggregate  cost  of  $300.  lie  had  employed  men  at 
Forty  Mile  during  the  summer  to  cut  and  store  six  tons  of  hay  at  a  cost 
of  $800.  His  initial  outlay,  therefore,  was  $3,125,  exclusive  of  8ni)plies 
for  his  men.  Forty  Mile  was  reached  without  accident,  although  the 
ice  was  running  heavy  and  strong,  and  the  hay  was  taken  oji  board 
and  distributed  at  various  points  below  for  the  purpose  of  feeding  on 
the  return  trip.  Twenty-live  miles  below  Forty  Mile  the  scow  contain- 
ing the  horses  struck  a  rock,  and  one  of  the  best  animals  was  thrown 
overboard  by  tho  force  of  the  collissiou  and  drowred.  The  damaged 
scow  was  repaired  and  no  further  serious  trouble  occurred  until  a  point 
about  sixty-live  ndles  above  Circdo  City  was  reache<l,  Avhere  it  was 
discovered  that  tho  river  had  closed.  It  being  imjiossible  to  proceed 
with  the  horses  until  the  ice  became  stronger,  and  there  being  but  little 
feed  for  them,  the  jiacker  came  on  to  Circle  City  afoot  to  procure 
enough  feed  to  last  until  tho  trail  should  open.  Three  hundred  pounds 
of  Hour  was  purchased  at  $35  a  hundred  and  a  dog  team  employed  at 


an  exf 
it  was 
on  it  ii 
Tlie 
into  th 
that  ai 
After  1 
the  pat 
he  star 
being  i 
the  pa( 
from  Ci 
during 
tho  hor: 
another 
proceed 
some  of 
in  hauli 
it  would 
as  they 
barely  e 
of  three 
of  horse 
packer  ii 
flrst  moi 
$300;   Av 
$3,500. 
that  wil 
of  badly 
availab 
horses 

While 
ftil  than 
their  ret 
hardshi] 
success; 
a  tejun  o 
trip.s  dm 
iiigs  wer 
were  $1. 
$1,200 
fita:i(ijir( 
soon  dist 
sistonco, 
The  bt 
and  Fort 


THE    ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS, 


391 


VG  gone 
iging  iu 
eowhafc 
rtain  as 

mmeuse 
V  lor  tlio 
ocital  of 
:lio  view 
interest 
enibark- 

loadiug 
iu  pack- 
■  scarcity 
withdraw 
b  iiiiprac- 
a  to  Fort 
lou  as  tbo 
was  over- 
reiglit  ho 
lie  animal 

earnings 
a  wisdom 
enter  into 
Holders  of 
e  head  of 
vl»om  was 
ith  apiece 
ece,  as  he 
purchased 
pd  men  at 
yr  at  a  cost 
)f  supplies 
hough  the 

on  board 
feeding  on 
iw  contain- 
•as  thrown 
)  damaged 
iitil  a  point 
ere  it  was 

to  proceed 

g  but  little 

to  procure 
red  pounds 

mployed  at 


an  expense  of  $250  to  carry  it  up  to  the  camp.  At  the  cud  of  ten  days 
it  was  thought  that  the  ice  was  strong  enough  for  the  horses  to  travel 
on  it  iu  safety,  and  the  attempt  was  made  to  bring  them  to  Circle  City. 

The  ice  was  so  thin  that  all  of  the  horses  freciuently  broke  through 
into  the  chilling  water  of  the  river,  and  it  was  Avith  great  difliculty 
that  any  of  them  were  rescued,  three  being  drowned  on  the  way  down. 
After  two  weeks  of  great  snffering  and  privation  for  nmn  and  beast, 
the  packer  reached  Circle  City  with  live  of  the  nine  horses  with  which 
he  started  from  Dawson.  They  were  allowed  a  week's  rest,  meantime 
being  fed  on  damaged  tlour  at  a  cost  of  $5  a  day  per  head,  and  then 
the  packer  started  with  them  for  Medicine  Lake,  some  sixty  miles 
from  Circle  City,  where  he  bad  six  tons  of  hay  which  he  had  had  cut 
daring  the  summer  of  189G,  at  a  cost  of  $300.  On  the  way  out  one  of 
the  horses  fell  on  tlie  ice,  breaking  his  leg,  and  had  to  be  shot,  Avhile 
another  injured  himself  so  badly  by  a  fall  that  he  died.  The  parker 
proceeded  to  Medicine  Lake  with  his  three  remaining,  horses,  secured 
some  of  the  hay,  and  returned  to  Circle  City,  where  he  is  now  engaged 
in  hauling  wood  at  $12  a  cord.  If  the  horses  were  in  good  comlition, 
it  would  be  possible  to  make  $3G  a  day  to  the  animal  at  this  pricre;  but 
as  they  are  very  weak  and  shaky  on  their  legs,  their  owner  works  them 
barely  enough  to  pay  running  expenses,  which  are  as  follows:  Wages 
of  three  men,  $750  per  mouth;  subsistence  of  men,  $150;  subsistence 
of  horses,  $450;  total,  $1,350.  At  the  end  of  the  first  month  the 
packer  dispensed  with  the  services  of  two  men.  His  expenses  for  the 
first  month  were  as  follows:  Loss  of  six  horses,  $1,350;  cost  of  scows, 
$300;  Avages,  $1,150;  subsistence  of  men  and  horses,  $700;  total, 
$3,500.  All  he  has  to  show  for  this  outlay  is  three  very  puny  horses 
that  will  probably  never  I'each  Fort  Yukon  alive,  and  nine  or  ten  tons 
of  badly  scattered  hay  that  cost  him  about  $1,000,  and  that  may  become 
available  some  day,  if  another  man  with  sufficient  courage  to  biing 
horses  down  the  Yukon  should  ever  put  in  an  appearance. 

While  those  engaged  iu  freighting  with  dog  teams  arc  more  success- 
ful than  the  unfortunate  jiacker  whoso  experience  is  related  above, 
their  returns  are  far  fr(>m  adequate  when  the  outlay  for  dogs  and  the 
hardships  of  a  life  ou  the  trail  are  taken  into  consideration.  Tlie  most 
successful  freighter  on  the  Birch  Creek  trail  last  winter,  working  with 
a  team  of  eight  dogs  that  cost  him  $1,600,  nuule  twenty-seven  round 
trips  during  the  freighting  season  of  as  many  weeks.  His  gross  earn- 
ings were  $3,200,  of  which  $80<J  is  still  outstanding,  and  his  expenses 
were  $1,200,  leaving  him  for  seven  months  of  most  exacting  labor 
$l,'_M)0  cash  in  band — a  comfortable  sum,  it  is  true,  measured  by 
Rta-.ulards  which  prevail  in  the  United  States,  but  which  here  was 
soon  dissipated  in  the  purchase  of  an  outfit  for  the  next  season's  sub- 
sistence, and  in  the  payment  of  other  necessary  expenses. 

The  best  team  engaged  this  winter  in  freighting  between  Circle  City 
and  Fort  Yukon,  a  distance  of  eighty-five  miles,  ccmsists  of  eight  tlogs, 


i: 


392 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


for  wliicli  tlio  owner  has  ?)eeu  offered  and  refused  $4,000  cash.  A 
round  trip  can  bo  made  in  ten  days  with  a  load  weighing  1,400  pounds, 
exehisive  of  camp  outfit  and  dog  feed.  At  the  prevailing  rate,  25  cents 
per  pound,  the  gross  earnings  amount  to  $.'^0.  The  expenses  are  as 
follows:  Wages  of  trail  brcaiier,  $100;  cost  of  dog  feed,  $80;  subsist- 
ence of  men  and  incidental  expenses,  $50 ;  total,  $230.  Deducting  this 
sum  from  the  gross  earnings,  the  freighter  has  for  his  ten  days'  hard 
work  $120,  a  figure  that  is  not  attractive  here,  especially  when  one 
considers  the  amount  he  has  invested  in  dogs,  the  hard  work  he  has  to 
perform,  and  the  fact  that  he  finds  it  necessary  to  spend  two  or  tliree 
days  at  each  end  of  the  route  to  rest  his  dogs  and  himself. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  two  instances  just  given  are 
exceptional,  and  that  the  average  freighter  does  not  do  anywhere  near 
as  well  as  those  mentioned.  Furthermore,  the  freighters  at  Circle  City 
haA'oJust  received  the  discouraging  news  (to  them)  that  the  scarcity  of 
l)rovi8ion8  at  Dawson  is  not  as  serious  as  people  have  been  led  to  sup- 
pose, and  that  therefore  they  can  not  hope  to  obtain  more  than  $1  per 
pound  for  freighting  to  that  place — a  rate  which  yields  scarcely  any 
])rofit,  on  account  of  the  long  haul,  necessitating  the  carrying  of  so  much 
dog  feed  that  the  freight  space  is  greatly  reduced. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  on  account  of  the  diflflcult'ds  of  transportation 
and  the  uncertainties  of  the  market,  the  field  for  legitimate  commercial 
enterprise  on  the  Yukon  is  circumscribed  and  precarious.  There  is  one 
line  of  commerce,  however,  that  offers  vast  opportunities  to  American 
enterprise,  as  the  power  of  the  community  to  consume  the  commodity 
involved  is  so  great  that  it  is  not  likely  there  will  ever  be  an  oversupply. 
This  is  the  illicit  traffic  in  alcoholic  liquors — the  curse  of  Alaska  and 
the  source  of  the  v,'ealth  of  many  of  its  most  prosperous  citizens,  and 
some  who  live  beyond  its  limits.  The  ring,  with  headquarters  at  Port- 
land, dominates  the  entire  region  from  .Tuneau  to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and 
from  the  Aleutian  Islands  to  the  Klondike,  and  carries  on  its  opera- 
tions at  every  point  in  the  vast  territory  described  where  a  few  white 
men  congregate  for  the  winter,  or  wherever  Indians  are  gatliered  in 
sufficient  numbers  to  justify  the  pursuit  of  its  nefarious  enteri)ri8e.  Its 
agents  openly  boast  that  no  (government  official  can  withetaud  their 
blandishments,  and  in  support  of  the  boast  do  not  hesitate  to  name 
ex-officials  of  the  customs  and  revenue  service  who,  after  a  short  term 
of  office*  here,  have  returned  to  private  life  with  large  sums  of  money 
which  by  close  attention  to  business  and  strict  (icononiy  they  were 
enabled  to  save  from  aggregate  salaries  amounting  to  probably  one- 
fourth  of  tlio  sums  realized.  Primarily,  the  General  Government  itself 
is  responsible  for  this  deplorable  state  of  affairs.  In  the  organic  act 
relating  to  tlie  District  of  Alaska  the  importation,  manufacture,  and 
sale  of  alcoholic  liquors  is  prohibited  except  for  '*  medicinal,  mechanical, 
and  scientific  iiurposes."    Conscientious  customs  officials,  one  of  whose 


duties 
the  Nta 
issuing 
invitati 
the  oxp 
citizen 
home ! 
ful  clasi 
the  sale 
of  whisl 
conimuii 
mention 
there  is 
pUuMid  li 
and  wlie 
Happi 
the  cust( 
doing  all 
the  sale 
areas  the 
traffic. 

It  woul 
a  proper] 
absolutely 
lily,  was 
from  tlw) 
white  me 
ought  to 
of  being 
which  ni; 
'"^tufl"  kno 
wines  an( 
fliiit  can 
coinporisf 
Territory 
City.    Tl 
the  worst 
ill  otJier  1 
It  niigl 
<'onId  easi 
who  has  1 
niiy  conct 
this  conn 
.'lie  aftiict 
Yukon  in] 
life  may 


THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


393 


duties  it  is  to  enforce  this  provision,  on  arriving  liere  are  confronted  by 
the  .staggering  f.ut  that  revenue  ofTicials  are  already  on  the  ground 
issuing  lirenses  to  saloon  keepers  on  every  hand.  What  an  alluring 
invitation  *o  corruption,  and  what  an  illimitable  field  it  i)resent8  for 
the  exploitation  of  the  commercial  genius  of  an  enterpiising  American 
citizen  so  constituted  that  he  can  detach  his  conscience  and  leave  it  at 
home !  In  other  ways  the  provision  above  referred  to  possesses  wonder- 
ful elasticity ;  for  instance,  there  is  extant  a  permit,  issued  at  Sitka,  for 
the  Hale  during  a  period  of  twelve  months  from  its  date  of  2,000  gallons 
of  whisky  for  "medicinal,  mechanical,  and  scientific  purposes"  in  a 
connnunity  of  such  meager  i)opnlation  that  the  quantity  of  whisky 
mentioned  represents  a  sujjply  of  twelve  gallons  i>er  capita,  and  where 
there  is  so  little  sickness  from  natural  causes  that  a  physician  who 
jilaced  his  dependence  on  that  class  of  practice  would  starve  to  death, 
and  wliere  the  mechanic  arts  are  as  yet  unborn. 

Happily  for  the  hdnor  of  the  country  the  present  administration  of 
the  customs  service  is  clean  and  vigorous,  and  the  oflicials  here  are 
doing  all  it  is  possible  to  do,  uj\der  the  anomalous  conditions,  to  prevent 
the  sale  of  liquors,  but  with  their  poor  equipment  and  the  immense 
areas  they  are  expected  to  cover  they  find  it  impossible  to  control  the 
traffic. 

It  would  be  far  better,  even  from  the  ethical  point  of  view,  to  adopt 
a  properly  regulated,  high-license  system  than  to  retain  the  present 
absolutely  inefficient  provision.  Of  course,  theobject  of  the  law,  prima- 
rily, was  to  prevent  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  totlio  Indians;  but 
from  tli«e  first  it  has  utterly  failed  to  accomplish  its  purpose.  Now  that 
white  men  are  coming  into  the  country  to  develop  its  resources,  they 
ought  to  be  given  white  men's  laws  and  be  relieved  from  tlie  humiliation 
of  being  treated  like  Indians.  Under  the  operation  of  the  present  law, 
which  makes  liquors  liable  to  confiscation,  the  dealers  import  the  vilest 
Ftufi'  known  to  the  trade,  consisting  principally  of  unrectificd  high 
wines  and  even  less  inviting  raw  material.  The  only  whisky  sold  liere 
that  can  in  any  sense  of  the  word  be  called  "good"'  (and  then  only  by 
comparison  with  high  Avines,  etc.),  is  that  which  is  bonded  to  Xorth west 
Territory  and  then  smuggled  from  Fort  Yukon  and  Dawson  into  Circle 
City.  Tlie  practical  effect  of  the  law  is  to  force  upon  the  community 
the  worst  liquors  that  can  be  manufactured,  wliile  as  to  quantity  and 
in  other  respects  the  traffic  is  but  slightly  restricted. 

It  might  seem  that  the  moral  and  physical  effects  of  such  a  condition 
could  easily  be  imagined  by  anyone  reading  the  simple  facts,  but  no  one 
who  has  not  witnessed  the  workings  of  the  law  on  t  'e  ground  can  have 
any  conception  of  the  blighting  influence  of  the  infamous  traffic.  In 
this  connection  a  word  of  warning  should  be  spoken  to  parents  who 
.'\re  afflicted  with  wayward  sons  and  contemplate  sending  them  to  the 
Yukon  in  the  hope  that  the  pure  mountain  air  and  the  simple  outdoor 
life  may  wean  them  from  evil  associations  at  home.    From  the  number 


ill 


394 


BULLETIN   OF   THE    DEPARTMENT   OF   LABOR. 


of  such  yoinig  men  that  have  beeu  sent  hero  for  a  reformatory  course 
it  wouhl  seem  that  there  must  be  an  impression  that  this  country  ofTers 
a  safe  asylum  to  the  victims  of  perverted  appetites;  but  such  i.  ^t  the 
case.  Young  men  who  need  reformation  are  the  very  ones  who  should 
not  come  here.  Their  safe  conrse  is  to  remain  where  civilization  puts 
its  shields  around  them. 

Putting  aside  all  consideration  as  to  its  moral  and  physical  eft'ects, 
it  must  be  admitted  that  the  traffic  oilers  groat  attractions  to  the  man 
who  wants  money  so  badly  as  to  render  it  immaterial  to  him  how  ho 
makes  it.  High  wines  and  "hootch"  {a)  command  $30  and  $20  i)er  gal- 
lon, respectively,  in  Circle  City  at  the  present  writing,  while  whisky 
brings  from  $40  to  $100  per  gallon  when  obtainable.  The  saloon  keep- 
ers, charge  50  cents  a  drink,  using  a  glass  that  enables  them  to  extract 
seventy  drinks  from  ii  gallon.  Through  the  dilution  of  the  raw 
material  in  the  proportion  of  two  to  one  they  receive  about  $100  per 
gallon  for  the  stuff  when  sold  over  the  bar.  Latterly  their  industry  has 
been  somewhat  injured  in  the  matter  of  profits  by  unscrupulous  whole- 
sale dealers  in  high  wines  who  have  adopted  the  rule  of  doing  the 
diluting  themselves,  thus  practically  getting  from  $40  to  $50  per  gallon 
for  high  wines  formerly  sold  for  830.  The  middlemen  complain  bitterly 
of  this  dishonest  usurpation  of  their  i)rerogative,  but  are  obliged  to 
submit  or  resort  to  the  only  alternative — hootch. 

There  is  absolutely  no  field  in  the  Yukon  basin  at  the  present  time 
for  professional  men.  It  would  require  a  population  of  20,000  to  assimi- 
late the  lawyers,  physicians,  dentists,  electrical  engineers,  etc.,  now  on 
the  ground.  A  large  i)roportion  of  this  class  already  hero  are,  appar- 
ently, men  of  fine  qualifications  and  thorough  masters  of  their  profes- 
sions, an'l  in  the  nature  of  things  will  have  a  great  advantage,  in  the 
matter  of  acquaintance  with  men  and  conditions,  over  those  coming 
into  the  country  hereafter.  Most  of  them  are  spending  the  winter  in 
idleness,  consuming  their  substance  and  cursing  the  country.  Nearly 
all  who  have  the  means  to  return  home  next  year  have  announced  their 
intention  of  doing  so,  but  many  will  be  forced  to  remain  here  and  join 
the  aimy  of  the  unemployed.  They  cjui  not  work  in  the  mines,  and 
would  make  poor  prospectors;  for,  as  Captain  Ilealey  truly  states,  it 
requires  a  man  of  iron  nerve  and  constitution  to  stand  the  hardships 
of  the  hills.  Typewriter  operators  and  commercial  stenographers  can 
find  no  oniploymcnt  here  until  the  two  Governments  give  to  the  country 
a  mail  service  that  will  enable  nuTchants  and  other  business  men  to 
communicate  with  the  outside  world. 


a  Hootch  is  tho  Indian  name  of  a  vile  Bubstitnto  for  ^Tbl8ky  that  is  sold  by  tin- 
Rnlooii  kocpcrH  tbrongbout  tbo  Yukon  bu8in  when  their  supply  of  tho  but  little  less 
vile  vbisky  is  exhausted.  It  is  distilled  from  an  admixture  of  sour  douj^^h,  rice,  raw 
sugar,  and  unsalable  dried  apples.  ThiH  product,  ^vhich  is  sold  by  the  nianufaituK  r 
for  $20  per  gallon,  is  exceedingly  rich  in  fusel  oil  nnd  other  diabolical  constitncntH. 
By  an  ingeuious  process,  known  only  to  themselves,  tho  primary  step  in  which  is  the 
addition  of  two  gallonii  of  Yukon  water,  Ibo  saloon  IcceptTs  are  enabled  to  convert 
a  gallon  of  hootch  into  three  gallons  of  so-called  whisky. 


Tot 
tnnes 
the  ric 
which 
record 
early  ( 
occupie 
a  claim 
are  spli 
small  in 
To-da 
have  m 
benefit 
very  fe\ 
theiii,  ai 
than  I 
awaitin, 
a  few  h( 
for  havi 
are  huu 
To  a 
family  ( 
<ind  su]i 
dance 
years 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


395 


J  course 
rv  offers 

3  sbould 
ion  puts 

I  effects, 
the  man 
1  Low  be 
)  i)er  Ral- 
i)  wliisky 
)on  keep- 
o  extract 
the  raw 
$100  per 
iustrylias 
lus  whole- 
ioing  tlie 
per  gallon 
in  bitterly 
obliged  to 

escnt  time 
)  to  assimi- 
;c.,  now  on 
are,  appar- 
leir  profes- 
ago,  in  the 
)se  coming 
0  winter  in 
•y.    Nearly 
unced  tbcir 
re  and  join 
mines,  and 
ly  states, it 
0  hardsbips  j 
rapbers  can 
tbc  country 
less  men  to 


ia  Bold  by  tlu^ 
s  bt»t  little  less 

burIi,  ricp,  raw 
Biuanufa»'tunrj 
jl  con8tltncnt:4.r 
in  which  is  iliel 
l)loa  to  couvcrtl 


The  statements  made  in  the  sections  on  the  Klondike  and  Dawson 
rel"*i*'o  to  the  opportunities  for  wa/AC  workers  are  eiiually  applicable  to 
noli.  5rn  Alaska.  Many  mine  owners  here  are  making  their  calcula- 
tions on  a  basis  of  $G  per  day  for  labor,  and  confidently  express  the 
opinion  that  the  influx  of  people  next  summer  Avill  enable  them  to 
work  their  mines  at  that  rate  of  wages.  Wliether  the  reduction  will 
occur  next  summer  is  questionable,  but  it  can  not  be  long  deferred. 
When  wages  droj)  to  $G  per  day  this  couutry  will  offer  no  inducements 
to  a  workingman  with  a  family. 

There  are  two  classes  of  young  men  that  need  not  be  disccmraged 
from  coming  here.  The  young  man  of  good  health  and  aniplo  means, 
who  can  afford  to  spend  a  year  or  two  in  looking  over  the  ground  and 
watching  for  opi)ortunitie8  to  invest  in  mining  property,  furnishing 
*'grub  stakes,"  etc.,  will  find  an  attractive  field  here,  and  the  young 
man  of  robust  constitution  and  a  capacity  to  carry  150  p<mnds.  on  his 
back  all  day  over  a  steep  mountain  trail  will  stand  a  good  cliance  of 
striking  it  rich  in  the  hills. 

Finally,  no  man  should  come  into  the  country  without  at  least  l,r)00 
pounds  of  provisions  and  sufficient  means  to  take  him  back  to  civiliza- 
tion at  the  end  of  the  j'ear  in  case  of  failure. 

Since  the  above  was  written,  a  newspaper  containing  a  letter  from 
William  Ogilvie,  esq.,  land  surveyor  of  the  Dominion  (Jovernment,  has 
couio  to  hand.  On  account  Oi  his  long  residence  hero  and  his  thorough 
knowledge  of  conditions  on  the  Yukon,  no  man  is  better  qualified  than 
]Mr.  Ogilvie  to  give  advice  on  the  subject  treated  in  this  section,  and 
the  liberty  is  taken  of  quoting  a  portion  of  his  letter: 

To  those  contemplating  coming  into  the  country  to  advance  their  for- 
tnnes  I  would  say  emphatically,  consider  the  reports  you  hear  concerning 
the  rich  returns  of  Bonanza  and  Eldorado  as  a  matter  of  history,  from 
whi(;h  you  can  derive  no  more  benefit  than  you  would  from  reading  the 
record  of  the  richness  of  the  finds  of  Australia  and  California  in  the 
early  days.  These  two  creeks,  as  I  have  already  said,  are  completely 
occupied,  and  I  can  at  present  recall  only  one  case  where  the  wliolo  of 
a  claim  is  the  undivided  property  of  one  individual.  Jlany  of  them 
are  split  up  into  four  interests,  some  six,  some  eight;  but  even  those 
small  interests  will  enrich  the  jiarties  holding  them. 

To-day,  had  you  means  to  purchase  an  interest  in  any  of  them,  you 
h.ivo  means  eaough  to  stay  at  home  with  vastly  more  comfort  and 
benefit  to  yourself.  To  all  who  contemplate  coming  in,  I  would  say, 
very  few  possess  the  requisite  fortitude  and  patience  for  the  task  before 
theiii,  and  I  have  no  more  doubt  of  the  sun  rising  and  setting  to-morrow 
than  I  have  that  a  very  largo  percentage  of  those  now  anxiously 
awaiting  some  means  of  getting  into  the  country,  leaving  it  possibly  in 
a  few  hours  after  they  have  arrived,  will  be  disgusted  with  themselves 
for  having  listened  to  what  they  will  consider  idle  tales  when  once  they 
are  landed  there. 

To  n  man  determined  to  better  his  position  in  life,  untrammeled  by 
family  cares,  with  means  enough  at  his  command  to  lay  in  i)rovision8 
and  supplies  for  a  year  at  least,  of  good  physique  and  health,  abun- 
dance of  fortitude  and  patiencej  and  determined  to  spend,  may  be,  ten 
years  in  one  country  and  see  it  out,  I  would  say:  You  possibly  can 


896 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LAHOR. 


not  do  better,  though  yon  would  probably  find  at  tlie  expiration  of  that 
time  that  your  plodding  brother  or  neighbor  ronuiining  at  homo  has 
actliievod  at  least  as  much  worldly  success,  with  much  more  en  joyment 
of  life  and  much  less  ])hy8ical  exertion.  There  are  exceptions  to  this, 
no  doubt  many  of  them,  but  it  is  the  rule.  If  you  are  determined  to 
try  your  luck  in  Alaska,  as  the  whole  gold-beaiing  country  is  termed 
generally,  come,  hopeful  and  self-reliant,  but  at  the  same  time  have 
your  mind  prepared  for  disappointment,  it  may  be,  bitter  and  long- 
continued. 

Bonanzas  and  Eldorados  are  not  often  struck.  Such  si>ot8  are  few 
and  far  between ;  but  there  is  other  ground,  and  niu<;h  of  it,  too,  that 
■will  yield  as  good  u  return  for  labor  expended  as  most  of  the  gold 
mines  in  the  world,  I  have  no  doubt.  It  is,  tlien,  Come  prepared  and 
determined  to  find  it,  and  I  hope  you  will  succeed  in  doing  so.  IJut 
do  not  be  disappointed  if  yejirs  roll  by  without  your  achieving  more 
than  an  ordinary  living.  This  is  the  experience  of  many  men  now  in 
the  country,  who  have  been  in  it  for  years,  while  some,  I  know,  who 
were  only  in  it  months,  went  out  this  season  rich. 


TKAN8PORTATION:    NAVIGATION    OF    TUB    YUKON,   POS- 
SIBLE EAILWAY  KOUTE8,  ETC. 

The  Yukon  is  one  of  the  great  rivers  of  the  world.  In  length  it  is 
exceeded  in  North  America  by  the  Mississippi,  the  Missouri,  and  the 
Mackenzie  only,  and  in  the  volume  of  water  it  carries  to  the  sea  by  the 
Mississippi  alone,  while  in  the  sustained  grandeur  of  its  ever-changing 
panorama  of  mountain  and  vale  it  surpasses  all  its  rivals. 

It  is  formed  by  the  confluence  of  the  Lewes  and  Pelly  rivers,  and  is 
2,155  miles  long.  Lewes  Eiver,  so  called,  which  has  its  source  in 
Crater  Lake,  in  American  territory,  just  below  the  summit  of  Chilkoot 
Pass,  nineteen  miles  from  Dyea  and  381  miles  from  its  junction  with  the 
Pelly,  should  be  known  as  the  Upi)er  Yukon,  as  it  carries  a  much 
larger  volume  of  water  than  the  Pelly,  the  Teslin  (Ilootalinqua),  or  the 
Tahkceua,  each  of  which  is  claimed  by  many  to  be  the  true  head  waters 
of  the  Yukon.  With  the  Lewes  added,  the  great  waterway  has  an 
extreme  length  of  nearly  2,000  miles,  placing  it  among  the  four  longest 
rivers  in  North  America. 

In  order  to  furnish  accurate  information  to  travelers,  and  especially 
to  liver  men  and  others  who  contemplate  engaging  in  navigation  on 
tlu^  Yukon,  great  pains  have  been  taken  to  secure  facts  from  men  who 
have  been  running  on  the  river  for  years,  and  the  following  matter 
relating  to  the  subject  can  be  accepted  as  presenting  the  most  trust- 
worthy data  obtainable  here  at  the  jiresent  time. 

The  first  steamboats  to  navigate  the  Yukon  above  the  missions  and 
trading  posts  on  the  lower  river  were  the  St.  Michael,  the  Yukoii,  and 
the  New  Racket,  boats  of  about  twenty  tons  each,  all  of  which  ascended 
as  far  as  Forty  Mile  during  the  season  of  1887.  The  Arctic,  a  boat  of 
225  tons,  belonging  to  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,  loaded  for 
Forty  Mile  in  1889,  but  was  disabled  in  Norton  Sound  and  did  not 
reach  that  post  until  the  following  summer.    With  the  increase  of  the 


ftliat 
10  hii» 
/meiit 
)  this, 
ued  to 
eritied 
>  have 
.  long- 

]xe  few 
0,  that 
le  gold 
ed  and 
..  But 
g  more 
now  ill 
w,  wlio 


,  P08- 

gth  it  is 
and  tlie 
1  by  the 
hanging 

9,  and  is 
jurce  in 
Chilkoot 
with  the 
a  much 
ft),  or  the 
id  waters 
y  has  an 
r  longest 

jspecially 
gation  on 
men  who 
ig  matter 
ost  trust- 

jsions  and 
'ukon,  and 
.  ascended 
,  a  boat  of 
loaded  for 
d  did  not 
jase  of  the 


i     4 


i   §  "•' 


THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


397 


output  of  the  uiinos  of  the  Forty  Mile  district  and  the  d«nelo])iueiit  of 
the  Birch  Creek  mines  the  Alaskii  Cotnmereial  Company  waw  obliged 
to  make  additiouH  to  its  fleet  in  order  to  keep  pace  with  tlie  growing 
business.  In  1802  the  Nortli  American  Transportation  and  Trading 
Conijjany  entered  the  ileld  with  tlie  steamer  Wcare,  and  establislied  a 
trading  ])ost  at  Forty  Mile  known  as  Fort  Cndahy,  whi(!li  has  been  fol- 
lowed by  imsts  at  Dawson,  Circle  City,  Fort  Yukon,  and  IJampart  City 
(Minook).  The  Alaska  Commercial  Company  has  jiusta  at  Dawson, 
]  orty  Mile,  Circle  City,  Fort  Yukon,  Fort  Hamlin,  liampart  City, 
Tanana,  Nulato,  Anvik,  and  Audreafski.  Both  companies  have  large 
stores  and  warehouses  on  St.  Michaels  Island,  which  is  loeated  in  Nor- 
ton Sound  near  the  mainland,  sixty  miles  north  of  the  Aphoon  mouth 
of  the  Yukon,  and  is  the  distributing  point  for  the  Yukon  trade.  St. 
]\Iichael8  is  3,200  miles  from  San  Francisco,  the  passage  by  ocean 
steamers  being  made  in  seventeen  days,  while  from  Seattle  the  voyage 
is  made  in  three  days  less.  The  distance  from  St.  ]Michaels  to  prin- 
cipal points  »tn  the  river  are  as  follows:  Fort  Adams,  1,2.50  miles;  the 
Tanana,  l,2«r);  Minook,  1,315;  Fort  liaralin,  1,38.');  Fort  Yukon,  1,005; 
Circle  City,  1,750;  Forty  Mile,  1,997;  Dawson,  2,050;  Sixty  Mile,  2,105; 
Fort  Selkirk,  2,210. 

Four  of  the  Yukon  boats — Weore,  Bella,  Victoria,  and  St.  Michael— rin 
winter  (luarters  at  Circle  City,  are  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustra- 
tion. The  Victoria  and  St.  Michael  also  appear  in  the  first  illustration, 
the  Victoria  to  the  right. 

The  North  American  Transportation  and  Trading  Company  has  three 
boats  plying  on  the  Y'ukon. 

The  Wmre,  which  was  launched  in  1892,  is  175  feet  l<mg,  28  feet 
beam,  and  6^  feet  depth  of  hull,  and  has  a  carrying  capacity  of  335  tons 
when  drawing  4  J  feet,  and  accommodations  for  sixty  jjassengers.  She 
has  two  fire-box  boilers,  containing  70  tubes  each,  and  two  high-pressure 
engines,  with  13-inch  cylinders  and  72-inch  stroke,  which  can  develop 
1,900  horsepower,  producing  a  speed  of  ten  miles  an  hour  in  slack  water. 

The  Itealy,  which  was  launched  in  189(5,  is  a  little  larger  than  the 
Wcare,  being  175  feet  long,  32^  feet  beam,  and  5  feet  ,'ttpth  of  hull, 
and  she  has  the  same  kind  of  machinery  as  the  Weare.  Tier  carrying 
capacity  is  400  tons  when  drawing  4^  feet,  and  she  has  acconnnodatioug, 
for  125  passeiigers. 

The  Hamilton,  the  new  boat,  which  was  launched  last  August,  is 
190  feet  long,  36  feet  beam,  and  6  feet  depth  of  hull,  her  carrying 
capacity  being  about  500  tons,  with  4^  feet  draft.  She  has  three  30-tube 
boilers  42  inches  in  diameter  and  24  feet  long,  which  supply  two  D- valve, 
high-pressure  engines,  with  26-inch  cylinders  and  7-foot  stroke,  of  2.500 
horsepower.  She  accommodates  200  passengers,  and  is  the  fastest 
boat  on  the  river,  being  capable  of  a  speed  of  seventeen  miles  in  slack 
water,  and  making  ten  miles  an  hour  upstream  against  an  average 
current.  She  is  provided  with  electric  lights  and  a  search  light,  and  is 
in  every  respect  a  first-class  modern  river  boat. 


398 


BULLETIN    OF    THE    DEPARTMENT    OF    LAHOR. 


I'i   ! 


From  ail  interview  witli  Vice  President  P.  B.  Weare,  which  appeared 
in  the  Chicago  Times-Herald  of  July  28, 1897,  the  following  statement 
is  taken : 

We  have  ordered  all  the  material  and  machinery  for  an  800-ton  light- 
draft  steamboat,  up  to  date  in  every  particular,  including  electric  lights, 
to  be  built  this  tall  at  St,  Michaels  Island.  She  will  be  named  John 
Cndaliij  snid  will  bo  iitted  for  passengers  as  well  as  freight.  *  »  * 
AVe  are  also  building  a  very  light-draft  steamer,  which  will  run  on 
eighteen  inches  of  water.  She  will  be  called  the  Klondike,  and  will  bo 
employed  to  tow  barges  during  the  low-water  stage  in  the  Yukon.  We 
are  constructing  five  200-ton  barges,  which,  when  loaded,  will  draw  not 
to  exceed  twenty-four  inches.  We  have  bought  and  will  take  to  St. 
Michaels  Island  a  very  powerful  tug,  which  will  be  employed  to  tow 
barges  with  supplies  from  Fort  Get  There  (St.  Michaels  Island)  to  the 
town  of  Weare,  600  \sic]  miles  up  the  Yukon.  She  will  make  two  trips 
this  fall.  The  mouth  of  the  Yukon  is  choked  up  by  drift  from  Bering 
Sea  until  early  in  July,  fully  one  month  after  navigation  of  the  inner 
river  has  opened.  We  can  do  at  least  four  weeks'  work  inside  before 
the  mouth  of  the  river  is  navigable.  We  shall  winter  all  our  boats 
abotit  400  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon. 

The  Alaska  Commercial  Company  had  four  steamers  running  on  the 
river  the  past  season. 

The  Bella  is  140  feet  long,  33  feet  beam,  and  7  feet  depth  of  hull.  She 
is  provided  with  hermaphrodite,  double-expansion  engines  without  con- 
densers, having  a  72-inch  stroke  and  a  14inch  bore  in  the  high-pressure 
cylinder  and  a  24-inch  bore  in  the  low-pressure  cylinder.  She  has  2,'JOO 
horsepower  and  a  speed  of  twelve  miles  an  hour  in  slack  water.  Her 
carrying  capacity  is  125  tons  Avhen  drawing  4  feet  of  water  and  a  little 
over  200  tons  when  loaded  to  G  feet  draft.  She  has  no  accommodations 
for  passengers,  having  been  built  specially  for  towing  barges,  frequently 
taking  two  barges  as  far  as  the  Lower  Ramparts. 

The  Alice  is  105  feet  long,  33  feet  beam,  and  8  feet  depth  "'^  hull. 
Her  boilers  and  engines  are  of  the  same  type  and  power  as  tliose  of 
the  Jiella,  and  she  carries  300  tons  when  loaded  to  4i  feet.  She  has 
accommodations  for  seventy  passengers,  and  her  si>eed  is  about  nine 
miles  an  hour  in  slack  water. 

The  Marfiaret  is  a  400-ton  barge  converted  into  a  steamboat,  having 
the  machinery  of  the  old  steamer  Arctic,  which  was  wrecked  last  Mny 
when  the  ice  broke  up,  at  a  point  three  miles  below  Forty  Mile,  where 
she  had  been  forced  to  lay  up  for  the  winter.  The  Margaret  has  single- 
expansion,  high-pressure,  slide  valve  engines,  v/ith  14-inch  cylinders 
and  5  foot  stroke,  of  900  horsepower,  and  can  make  nine  miles  an  hour 
in  slack  water.  Loaded  with  300  tons  she  draws  4^  feet.  She  has  no 
accommodations  for  passengers. 

Tlie  Victoria  is  H5  feet  long,  19  feet  beam,  and  5  feet  depth  of  luill. 
She  is  equipped  with  high  pressure  slide-valve  engines  of  250  horse- 
power, with  10-inch  cylinders  sind  30  "nch  stroke.  U  » fi'-rying  capac- 
ity is  sixty- live  tons,  and  her  speed  about  seven  miic  <  ni  hour  in  slack 


water, 
specia 
Besi 
feet  loi 
U  feet 
The 
ness,  a 
each  l-J 
ing  caj 
steamb 
will  be 
and  20 
power  li 
Her  car 
will  hav 
Each 
purser,  i 
ter,  two 
roustabt 
salaries 
SlOO  pel 
$120  i)ei 
month  J 
deck  hai 
each.     T 
The  bo 
accordiiij 
$4  a  conj 
The  in 
present 
Andri-.oCd 
Nulato,  s) 
§45,-  Forf 
Mile  and  I 
'i'!>5;   Wl 
from  Fori 
intermedi 
Cisco,  $12 
pounds  o| 
The  frel 
ton  ]H?r  ij 
City  beinj 
Fort  Selkl 
"ing  hou| 
■^70  per 
<^ity,  $53.1 


THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


399 


peared 
teinent 


I  liRlit- 
lights, 
id  John 

»     «     * 

run  on 

will  bo 
»n.  We 
raw  not 
s  to  St. 

to  tow 
I)  to  the 
wo  trips 

Bering 
le  inner 
B  before 
ir  bouts 

g  on  the 

nil.  She 
jout  con- 
.pressure 
has  2,'J()0 
;er.    Her 

d  a  little 
lodations 

eqnently 

I  -f  hull, 
those  of 
She  bas 

jont  nine 

it,  having 
last  May 
ile,  whei-e 
las  single- 
cylinders 
?s  an  hour 
Ihe  has  no 

ih  of  hull. 
250  horse- 
in  g  capac- 
ir  in  slack 


water.     She  has  no  accommodations  for  passengers,  having  been  bnilt 
specially  for  iipriver  freight  tratlic. 

Besides  these  fonr  boats  the  company  has  three  40()-toii  barges,  140 
feet  long,  32  I'eet  beam,  and  7  feet  depth  of  hull,  drawing  when  loaded 
U  feet. 

The  company  is  building  at  St.  Michaels,  to  handle  the  growing  busi- 
ness, a  towboat  similar  to  the  Bella  in  size  and  j.i  iver,  and  four  barges, 
eaeh  140  feet  long,  33  feet  beam,  and  7  feet  deptli  of  hull,  with  a  carry- 
ing capacity  of  400  tons.  They  are  also  building  at  San  I'rancisco  a 
steamboat  220  feet  long,  40  feet  beam,  and  5  feet  depth  of  hull.  She 
will  be  provided  with  three  Otis  steel  boilers,  42  inches  in  diameter 
and  2(>  feet  bmg,  each  having  five  9-inch  return  flues  and  2,200  horse- 
power high-pressure  engines,  with  20-iuch  cylinders  and  72-inch  stroke. 
Her  carrying  capacity  will  be  700  tons  when  loaded  to  4A  feet,  and  she 
will  have  seventy-six  staterooms,  accommodating  152  passengers. 

Each  of  these  boats  carries  a  crew  composed  of  the  cai)tain,  the 
purser,  two  pilots,  two  mates,  two  engineers,  two  firemen,  one  carpen- 
ter, two  cooks,  one  Avatchm.an,  two  deck  hands,  and  from  twelve  to  litty 
roustabouts,  according  to  the  size  of  the  boat  and  the  cargo.  The 
salaries  and  wages  are  as  follows:  Captain,  $2,r)()0  per  annum;  purser, 
$100  per  numth;  pilots  and  mates,  §100  per  month  eaeh;  engineers, 
$120  i)er  month  each;  firemen,  $2  per  day  each;  carpenter.  "^100  per* 
month;  cooks,  $75  and  $50  per  month;  watchman,  !ii<75  per  moiitii; 
deck  hands,  $2  i>er  day  each,  and  roustabouts,  $1.50  to  $2  per  day 
each.    The  pilots,  firemen,  :i:  d  roustabouts  are  usually  Indians. 

The  boats  consume  from  one  to  two  cords  of  wood  per  running  hour, 
according  to  boiler  capacity.  Wood  is  purchased  at  the  wood  yards  for 
84  a  cord,  or  cut  by  the  crow  at  various  points  as  it  may  be  rcijuired. 

The  passenger  rates  between  St.  Slichaels  and  Fort  Selkirk  are  at 
present  as  follows:  From  St.  Michaels  to  Kutlik,  $5;  Akuliiruk,  $0; 
AndriMl'ski,  $11;  Russian  Mission,  $17;  Koserefski,  $21 ;  Anvik,  $2;>; 
Nulato,  $28;  Kokerines,  $35 ;  Fort  Adams,  $40;  Tanana,  $41;  iMinook, 
$45;  Fort  Hamlin,  $50;  Fort  Yukon,  $04;  Circle  City,  $05;  Seventy 
Mile  and  Forty  Mile,  $75;  Dawson  and  Sixty  Mile,  $00;  Stewart  IJiver, 
$05;  White  River,  $90;  Fort  Selkirk,  $100.  Downstream,  the  rate 
frf>m  Fort  Selkirk  to  St.  Michaels  is  $00,  and  proportionate  rates  for 
intermediate  ])oints.  First-class  ticket  from  St.  Michaels  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, $120;  from  San  Francisco  to  Dawson,  with  an  allowance  of  1"»0 
pounds  of  baggage,  $175;  to  Circle  City,  $150. 

The  freight  rate  upstream  is  calculated  on  the  basis  of  53  cents  ]ier 
ton  i)er  ruuTiing  hour,  the  minimum  rate  from  St.  Michaels  to  Circle 
City  being  $1(K>  per  ton;  to  Forty  Mile,  $128;  to  Dawson,  $130,  and  to 
Fort  Selkirk,  $150.  Downstream  the  rate  is  .55  cents  per  ton  i»er  run- 
ning hour,  the  minimum  rate  from  Fort  Selkirk  to  St.  Michaels  being 
•^70  per  ton;  from  Dawson,  $05;  from  Forty  Mile,  $01,  and  from  Circle 
City,  $53.     It  should  be  stated  in  this  connection  that  the  rates  given 


i    . 


r 


400 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


for  upstream  rraffic  art;  nomiual,  as  the  companies  <lo  not  carry  freigbt 
upstream  for  the  general  public  except  in  rare  cases.  The  rate  for  dogs 
is  one-third  of  i)a.ssenger  rates  if  in  charge  <»f  owners;  from  below 
Nulato,  $40  pe;-  head.  Live  stock,  full  passenger  rates;  minimum 
charge  (other  tlian  dogs),  $15  ])er  head. 

A«  detailed  under  tlie  head  of  Dawson,  the  result  of  the  season's 
navigation  wa.s  the  landing  at  that  i)i»ce  ol"  only  U,i)3()  tons  of  freight, 
wlilcli  is  within  a  few  tons  of  the  cari-yiug  capacity  for  one  trip  of  the 
entire  fleets  of  both  companies — a  very  poor  showing,  and  one  that 
must  be  attributed  to  the  mistake  that  has  been  made  in  the  past  of 
attemj)ting  to  run  the  entire  length  of  the  river  with  boats  that  are  too 
large  to  navigate  successfully  that  portion  of  the  stream  between  Fort 
Yukon  and  hawson.  It  is  the  unanimous  opinion  of  experienced 
steamboat  men  here  that  no  better  results  can  be  attained  until  the 
compani»-s  introduce  boats  of  lighter  draft  for  the  upper  river,  using 
their  larger  boats  to  transport  freight  to  Fort  Yukon,  and  making  that 
place  the  distributing  point  for  the  upper  river.  A  model  boat  for  the 
lower  Yukon  would  be  one  220  I'eet  in  length,  36  to  40  feet  beam,  and  5 
feet  depth  of  hull,  built  'U  rather  broad  lines,  and  e<|uipped  with 
poppet-valve  engines  of  2,'J50  horse  power.  Such  a  boat  could  rairry 
800  tons  with  4  feet  draft,  could  make  eight  round  trips  during  the 
'season  between  St.  Michaels  and  Fort  Yukon,  and,  ii  cooperation  with 
three  small  boats  of  li(K)  tons  eacli  and  of  high  power,  could  land  in 
Dawson  every  season  (!,000  tons  of  freight,  or  enough  to  supply  the 
present  population  of  the  ilistrict. 

Oapt.  K.  D.  Dixon,  an  old  Mississippi  River  steamboat  man,  now  in 
the  employ  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,  has  furnished  the 
tbllowing  statement: 

The  navigation  season  on  the  Yukon  usually  extends  over  a  jieriod  of 
four  and  a  half  or  Ave  months.  The  ice  breaks  up  at  tiie  Pelly,  -',155 
miles  from  the  month  of  the  river,  from  the  Ist  to  the  10th  of  May,  and 
the  upper  river  clears  at  the  rate  of  about  100  miles  a  day,  the  lee 
finally  tunning  out  of  the  moutli  of  the  river  about  the  1st  of  June, 
Norton  Sound  becomes  free  of  ice;  from  June  20  to  Jul.v  1,  and  the  ocean 
steamers  can  generally  get  to  St.  Miclia^'ls  during  the  first  week  in  July. 

From  St.  Michaels  to  the  moutli  of  the  Yukon,  a  distance  of  sixty 
miles  across  Norton  Soujid.  there  is  never  less  than  four  feet  of  water 
at  high  tide,  while  at  extremely  high  tide  there  is  a  dej)th  of  iive  or  six 
feet,  and  sometimes  as  much  jis  ten  feet.  During  low  tide  there  is 
fre<juently  less  than  two  feet  of  water  at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

The  Aphoon  month  is  about  half  a  mile  wide.  There  are  four  or  live 
mouths  to  the  river,  separated  by  long,  narrow  islands.  Just  above  the 
islands  that  split  the  river  into  its  various  mouths  it  is  about  Ibur  miles 
wide  at  high  water:  at  h)W  water  the  main  channel  is  not  moi'e  than 
four  or  five  hundred  yards,  but  it  is  very  deep. 

The  Yukon  Kiver,  from  the  time  you  ente.r  the  Aplioon  mouth  until 
you  get  to  old  Fort  Adams,  a  distance  of  1,250  miles,  has  about  the. 
same  current  as  the  Mississippi  from  Alton  to  St.  Paul,  and  is  very 
deep.  From  old  Fort  Adams  to  the  Tanana,  a  distance  of  tifte«>n  miles, 
the  current  runs  about  five  miles  an  hour.     From  the  Tanana  to  the 


Rampart 
and  a  hi 
miles  bel 
current  i 
two  milei 
Fort  Ilai 
an  hour, 
wide.     T 
bars  bet\ 
the  watej 
six  miles 
passing  t 
haps  thre 
until  you 
White  E; 
many  cha 
is  not  ove 
Yu'ro'i  th 
ha't:  nev< 
belvn<  J' 01 
est  water 
known  th( 
depth  at 
channel, 
of  the  Oh 
of  the  yea 
sufficient 
chauge  in 
wash.     Tl 
Lower  Mi 
water.    F 
City,  the  c 
swifter  tin 
we  have  a 
average  ci 
there  is  fri 
is  an  idea 
no  snags 
located  bj 
near  shoii 
Owing  to 
swiftest  p 
with  its 
that  it  wo 
There  are 
At  Nulato 

lillirOW,  IK 

there  al)oi 
New  Orlei 
warm  seas 
When  the 
and  stops 
that  prod 
The  Vn 
Hiver  stea 
uien  en  gag 


II 


THE    ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


401 


freigbt 

or  dogs 

below 

iniiuum 

leason's 
freight, 
)  of  the 
ue  that 

past  of 
,  are  too 
sen  Fort 
^rieiiced 
iitil  the 
!r,  using 
ing  that 
t  for  the 
m,  and  5 
led  with 
lid  carry 
ring  the 
uoii  with 

land  in 
Ll)ply  the 

i,  now  in 
shed  the 


period  of 
lly,  -M55 
May,  and 
J,  tiii'  i«"«' 

of  June, 
the  ocean 
i  in  .Inly, 
i  of  .sixty 

of  water 
ive  or  six 
there  is 

er. 

lur  or  live 
above  the 
'our  niih's 
nore  than 

luth  until 
iibout  the 
<)  is  very 
iM'ii  miles, 
,na  U>  the 


Rampart  Rapids,  a  distance  of  fifty  niilos,  the  current  is  about  four 
and  a  half  miles  an  hour.  The  water  bej,nn8  to  yet  swift  about  four 
miles  below  the  rapids,  and  there  is  a  six  and  a  half  to  a  seven  mile 
current  until  you  reach  a  point  three  miles  above  the  rapids,  which  are 
two  nules  long.  There  is  plenty  of  water  along  there.  From  there  to 
Fort  Hamilton,  at  the  head  of  the  ramparts,  the  current  is  four  miles 
an  hour.  Then  yon  strike  the  Yukon  Flats,  where  the  river  gets  v(uy 
wide.  There  are  a  {ireat  many  channels,  with  islands  ami  dry  gravel 
bars  between.  At  the  head  of  each  of  those  bars  there  is  a  ritHe,  and 
the  water  is  very  swift  on  the  riftles,  running  from  four  and  a  half  to 
six  miles  an  hour.  Those  ritlles  average  about  a  mile  in  length.  After 
passing  through  a  riflle  you  strike  slower  water,  with  a  current  of  per- 
haps three  or  four  miles  an  hour.  There  is  a  succes.sion  oftlie.se  rillies 
until  you  get  to  White  Eyes,  seventy  miles  below  Fort  Yukon  At 
White  Eyes  in  high  water  the  river  is  eight  or  ten  miles  wide,  with 
many  channels,  but  in  low  water  there  is  only  one  channel  and  the  river 
is  not  over  two  or  two  and  a  half  miles  wide.  From  there  up  to  l^'ort 
yu':r>v  the  current  gradually  increases  and  the  river  gets  shallower.  I 
ha" 't:  never  seen  the  river  with  less  than  six  feet  of  water  at  any  point 
belo''  I-'ort  Yukon.  The  shallowest  riffle  is  at  White  Eyes,  and  the  low- 
est water  I  ever  saw  there  was  six  feet,  and  that  was  the  lowest  water 
known  there  for  years.  At  a  medium  stage  of  water  there  is  sullicient 
depth  at  Fort  l^ukon.  The  steamers  have  been  running  in  the  wrong 
channel.  The  bed  of  the  Yukon  is  composed  of  gravel,  similar  to  that 
of  the  Ohio  River,  and  the  channels  never  change  except  in  the  spring 
of  the  year  from  the  effect  of  ice  gorges.  When  these  occur  and  get  a 
suflicient  head  of  water  to  move  the  graA'el  it  sometimes  makes  a 
change  in  the  channel.  The  channels  do  not  till  up  from  sedimentary 
wash.  The  Yukon  is  not  one-half  as  muddy  as  the  Mississippi.  The 
Lower  Mississippi  at  low  water  is  muddier  than  the  Yukon  at  high 
water.  From  White  Eyes  to  Fish  Cami>,  twelve  miles  above  Circle 
City,  the  current  averages  about  five  and  a  half  nules  an  hour.  It  runs 
swifter  than  that  on  the  rittles,  of  course.  From  Fish  Camp  to  Dawson 
we  have  a  narrow  ri\  dr,  averaging  about  half  a  mile  in  width,  with  an 
average  current  of  six  miles  an  hour.  In  ordinary  stages  of  the  river 
there  is  from  six  to  seven  feet  of  water  on  the  highest  bars.  The  Yukon 
is  an  ideal  river  for  navigation.  There  are  no  rocks,  no  bowlders,  and 
no  snags  to  hinder  navigation.  All  the  rocL.s  in  the  river  are  easily 
located  by  tlie  breaks  the  current  tlirows  over  them,  and  they  are  all 
uear  shore,  it  is  one  of  the  i)rettiest  rivers  under  the  sun  to  navigate. 
Owing  to  the  frozen  condition  of  the  banks  they  do  not  cut  even  in  the 
swiftest  places.  If  it  was  not  for  the  frost  in  the  ground  this  river, 
with  its  swift  current,  would  cut  the  banks  and  wash  and  spread  so 
that  it  would  be  impossible  to  navigate  it.  It  is  a  very  dee))  river. 
There  are  places  where  you  can  not  llud  bottom  with  an  ordinary  line. 
At  Nulato  and  some  ways  above  the  Russian  Mission  the  river  isquit^e 
narrow,  not  over  a  nule  and  a  half  wide  and  very  deep.  It  carries 
tliere  about  half  the  volume  of  water  that  the  Mississippi  carries  at 
New  Orleans.  There  is  always  plejity  of  water  in  the  river  during  the 
warm  season.  A  great  drawback  is  the  early  frost  at  the  uead  waters. 
When  the  frost  comes  it  diminishes  the  volume  of  the  small  streams 
and  stops  the  snow  water  from  conung  in  out  of  the  small  gulches,  and 
that  pnxhices  low  water  in  the  main  river. 

The  Yukon  could  be  navigated  successiully  if  we  had  Mississippi 
Kiver  steajnboat  men  as  captains,  pilots,  and  engineers.  Nearly  all  the 
men  engaged  in  handling  the  boats  here  are  deep-water  sailors.     While 


r 


III        .i3>ii»aMM« 


402 


BULLETIN   OF   THE   DEPARTMENT   OF   LABOR. 


i 


tlit'y  ill"©  good  deopwater  Siiilora,  they  do  not  know  auytliin;  about 
curiTuts  and  sand  bars.  After  a  Mississippi  ])ilot  makes  a  round  trip 
on  til  is  river  lio  can  read  it  like  a  book.  Ho  understaiids  locating  reots, 
shoal  ])la(;e8,  and  landmarks.  The  Indian  lias  no  snch  faculty  and  has 
proved  a  failure  as  a  ])ilot.  lie  steers  by  instinct  only,  and  as  soon  an 
it  bocomes  dark  lie  loses  his  head.  Fortunately  we  have  daylight 
nearly  all  the  time  throughout  the  navigation  season. 

'^'Mie  fuel  question  is  one  that  bothers  us  greatly  on  the  Yukon,  cs])e- 
ciaily  on  the  lower  river.  For  the  first  COO  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river  we  are  obliged  to  depend  entirely  ui)on  driftwood.  This  driftwood 
crnies  from  the  upper  river  and  lodges  on  the  shores  and  on  the  islands, 
and  the  Indians  chop  it.  That  is  all  the  fuel  we  can  obtain  there.  The 
timber  has  been  destroyed  by  the  action  of  the  ice  in  the  spring.  Ther«^ 
are  islands  a  mile  long  and  half  a  mile  wide,  which  were  formerly  well 
timbored,  that  have  been  denuded  of  every  vestige  of  timber  by  the 
action  of  the  ice,  which  sweeps  over  the  islands  in  the  spring  break-up 
and  cuts  trees  off  like  grass  blades.  Eventually  we  will  have  to  resort 
to  the  use  of  coal.  There  is  au  abundance  of  coal  from  the  Tanana  uj), 
and  there  is  good  coal  only  forty- five  miles  above  here  [Circle  City],  and 
right  at  Forty  Mile.  There  is  splendid  coal  in  the  Lower  Kamjiarts, 
thirty  miles  this  side  of  Minook.  I  have  been  in  the  bank  myself  and 
took  out  enough  to  try  it,  and  I  found  it  flrst-class  (!oal  for  making 
steam.  We  have  to  i)ay  $-k  a  cord  for  all  the  wood  we  buy  for  use  on 
our  boats.  When  we  run  out  of  wood  between  yards  we  land  at  the 
first  drift  pile  and  all  hands  go  to  work  with  axes  and  saws  and  cut 
wood.  We  carry  from  twelve  to  fiffcy  Indians — as  many  as  fifty  and 
never  less  than  twelve — for  this  work  and  pay  them  61.50  a  day:  some- 
times $2  a  da}'  in  the  Vail. 

There  is  some  comjdaint  al)Out  supplies  being  so  dear  in  this  coun- 
try. They  are  not  as  dear  here  as  they  were  on  the  Missouri  liiver 
during  the  boom  dpyr  in  the  Black  Hills.  The  expenses  of  transporta- 
tion and  the  maintenance  of  large  trading  posts  and  stores  have  got  to 
come  out  of  what  the  companies  get  for  the  supplies  they  sell  in  this 
country.  They  have  got  to  construct  their  boats  here,  which  makes 
them  cost  twice  as  much  as  they  do  back  home.  It  cost  $325  a  day  to 
run  the  lieUa  this  summer.  Then  the  greater  pai*t  of  the  crew  must  be 
paid  and  fed  for  the  entire  year;  whereas,  back  home,  when  a  boat  is 
laid  up  for  the  winter,  the  crew  is  discharged  and  seeks  other  employ- 
ment until  the  opening  of  navigation.  The  Biila/s  crew  at  the  present 
time  consists  of  twelve  men,  all  of  whom  are  under  pay  the  year  round. 
I  receive  82,500  a  year;  the  engineer,  $120  a  month;  the  mate,  $100  a 
montii;  the  cook,  $75  a  month;  the  cabin  boy,  $30  a  month,  and  three 
Indians  receive  $1.50  a  day  each.  I  do  not  know  the  wages  of  the  deck 
hands,  as  they  Avere  hired  below.  Besides  all  this  exiKJnse  there  is  the 
item  of  repairs.  Our  wheel  and  rudder  are  badly  broken,  and  we  must 
whipsaw  lumber  to  make  jep.iirs.  It  costs  a  mint  of  money  to  run  a 
boat  under  such  adverse  conditions. 

iiast  winter  the  Bella  laid  up  at  Fort  Yukon,  The  river  opened  on 
May  17,  and  on  May  20  we  started  for  Dawson,  with  one  barge  in  tow 
and  about  275  tons  of  fi  eight.  We  came  to  Circle  City  and  took  on 
about  as  much  more  freight  and  225  passengers,  and  landed  at  Dawson 
on  June  2.  We  left  the  same  day  lor  Forty  Mile,  loaded  there  with  120 
tons  of  freight  and  forty- five  passengers,  and  returned  to  Dawson, 
arriving  there  June  5,  In  the  evening  of  tlio  same  day  \  took  my  barge 
in  tow  and  left  for  Bixty  Mile  for  a  load  of  lumber.  We  arrived  there 
the  next  day,  and  leaving  the  barge  with  men  to  load  it,  we  went  nn  to 


White  r 

We  cam 

and  rea( 

i\lile,  an 

five  mile 

the  barg 

down  to 

wind  to 

to  Kt.  Mi 

our  first 

to  Daws 

July  25. 

and  left ! 

August  ] 

Michaels 

with  750 

l)assenge: 

barge,  dr 

'JO  tons  ol 

came  to  I 

wo  came  1 

boat,  and 

lard,  sug.i 

tons  at  Ci 

Seplombe 

City  Octo 

ill  tlie  ice 

slough  at 

The  det 
and  the  ci 
and  value 
this  field 

The  cap 
houts  reqi 
nominal, 
river  liave 
as  a  con  so 
boat  has  a 
for  the  In 
settle  witl 
Wood,  wh 
of  50  pom 
articles  in 
ill  Sun  Fr 
i»ioduct  \f 
starvation 
lie  can  do 
15  cents  j 
Stark  Mill 
l»ory;ird,  i 
lis  taken  u 


THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


403 


•.  about 
mid  trip 
II  g  reels, 
and  lias 
1  soon  as 
daylight 

an,  CvSiie- 
th  of  the 
rittwood 
J  islands, 
VG.  The 
;.  There 
erly  well 
er  by  tlic 
break-up 

to  resort 
intuia  up, 
3ity],  and 
'amparts, 
yself  and 
r  making 
"or  use  on 
nd  at  tlio 
s  and  cut 

fifty  and 
lay:  some- 

this  coun- 
mri  liiver 

ansporta- 
avo  got  to 
ell  in  this 
ich  makes 
j  a  day  to 
w  must  be 

a  boat  is 
er  employ 

le  jn-esent 
ear  round, 
ite,  $100  a 

and  three 
)t'  the  deck 

lero  is  the 

d  Avo  must 
jy  to  run  a 

opened  on 
irgo  in  tow 
ul  took  on 
at  Dawson 

o  with  120 
)awson, 
U  my  barge 
rived  there 

went  on  to 


V 


White  River,  with  Mr.  Harper  and  Mr.  Ogilvie,  the  surveyor,  aboard. 
We  came  down  from  White  Jiiver  on  the  7th,  hitched  on  to  tlie  barge, 
iiiid  readied  Dawson  that  evening.  On  the  8tli  wo  came  down  to  Forty 
Mile,  and  on  the  9th  wo  went  down  to  the  wreekof  the  steamer  Arctic, 
five  miles  beh)W  Forty  Mile,  and  took  her  maihineiy  out  and  put  it  on 
the  barge,  and  left  on  the  13th  for  the  mouth  of  ihe  river.  We  got 
down  to  the  mouth  .Tune  23,  and  laid  there  two  days,  waiting  for  the 
wind  to  go  down  so  that  wo  could  cross  t!  e  sound.'  Then  we  crossed 
to  Bt.  ]\Iicliaels  and  were  there  three  days.  'Vo  started  uj)  the  river  on 
onr  first  trip  Juno  28,  with  one  bargo  and  4r)()  tons  of  freight,  and  got 
to  Dawson  July  15.  Wo  left  Dawson  July  17  and  got  to  St.  ]\li(;hae!s 
July  25.  Wo  loaded  up  again  with  4~>0  tons  of  freight  on  one  barge, 
and  left  St.  Michaels  July  27,  with  39  jiassengers,  arriving  at  Dawson 
August  17.  Iteturning,  we  left  Dawson  August  18  and  reached  St. 
IMiclmels  August  27.  We  loaded  up  the  steamboat  and  two  barge.s 
with  750  tons  of  freiglit  and  started  up  the  river  August  31  with  2' 
])assengers.  AVe  left  one  bargo  at  Andreafski  and  brought  the  other 
barge,  drawing  four  and  a  half  feet,  to  Kampart  City.  Tiiere  I  i)ut  off 
OO  tons  of  freight.  That  lightened  the  barge  up  to  four  feet.  Then  we 
camo  to  Fort  Hamilton,  where  I  light.^ned  the  barge  to  2G  inches;  tiien 
Ave  came  to  Fort  Yukon,  where  Ave  unloaded  the  barge  and  the  steam- 
boat, and  then  reloaded  the  boat  Avith  125  tons  of  bacon,  flour,  beans, 
lard,  sugar,  tea,  and  coffee,  and  proceeded  up  the  river.  We  left-;  37 
tons  at  Circle  City  and  put  the  remainder  into  Dawson,  arriving  tltcio 
September  30.  We  left  Dawson  on  October  1  and  arrived  at  Circle 
City  October  13,  with  120  passengers,  having  been  caught  for  nine  days 
in  the  ice  on  tho  way  down.  Tlio  Bella  is  noAv  iu  the  mouth  of  tiio 
slough  at  Circle  City  for  the  Avlnter. 

The  details  given  by  Captain  Dixon  relative  to  tho  dei)th  of  water 
and  the  currents  in  tho  river  will  undoubtedly  be  found  of  great  interest 
and  value  by  pilots  and  other  steamboat  men  Avho  contemplate  etiteriug 
this  field. 

Tho  captain's  statement  in  regard  to  tho  expense  of  running  steam- 
boats requires  some  modification,  as  the  figure  given  by  him  is  merely 
nominal.  In  tho  nature  of  things  tho  Indians  Avho  cut  Avood  along  tho 
river  have  no  uso  for  money  excei)t  to  buy  tho  necessaries  of  life,  and 
as  a  consequence  they  are  paid  for  their  Avood  in  trade.  Every  steam- 
boat has  a  storeroom  containing  an  assortmentof  goods  specially  selected 
for  the  Indian  trade  and  in  charge  of  the  purser,  Avhose  duty  it  is  to 
settle  Avith  the  Indians  for  the  Avood  they  deliA'or  on  board  tho  boat. 
Wood,  Avhich  now  costs  $1  per  cord,  is  paid  for  in  flour  at  8t  per  sack 
of  50  jiounds;  calico,  3  yards  for  $1 ;  tea  at  81  per  pound,  and  <>rli«t' 
articles  in  like  i>roportion.  The  flour,  Avhich  costs  $1.20  ])cr  liun<ire<il 
iu  San  Francisco  or  Seattle,  is  what  is  known  as  "trading*'  flour,  a 
product  Avhicli  the  Avhite  man  aA^oids  except  under  stress  of  ^wiwiidin^: 
starvation,  but  Avhich  the  Indian  is  glad  to  get  at  any  vf''''tN  because 
lie  can  do  no  better,  anu  tlie  tea  is  of  a  low  grade  that  s-flls  for  about 
15  cents  per  pound  at  retail  in  tho  United  States,  A\-]ien  it  sells  tkt  i^ 
Stark  Mills  improAx>d  standard  drilling  (A)  is  exchanged  at  5«»  cw«ts 
])cryard,  and  smoking  tobacco  that  sells  for  5  cents  a  packag*  «>nfxaie 
is  taken  Avith  avidity  by  the  Indians  at  50  cents,  while  they  ;K'«»»^  at 


■^ — -" 


404 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


the  same  figure  per  pound,  but  with  somewhat  less  eiithusiasin,  a  quality 
of  leaf  tobivceo  known  as  "  sheep  dip ''  in  the  i)a8toral  communities  of 
our  western  States.  It  is  interesting  to  note  the  movement  of  prices 
during  the  past  few  years  in  the  traflic  with  the  Indians  on  the  river. 
Formerly  the  Indians  charged  $1.50  per  cord  for  wo»)d,  and  the  com- 
panies paid  for  it  in  trading  flour  at  $1.50  jier  sack  of  50  pounds,  and 
other  commodities  in  like  proportion  as  compared  with  present  prices. 
With  the  influx  of  the  superior  race  the  Indians  learned  in  some  degree 
the  value  of  money,  at  least  so  far  as  abstract  units  are  concerned, 
though  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  full  significance  of  the  terra  "  pur- 
chasing power"  has  as  yet  reached  their  inner  consciousness.  This 
new  knowledge  created  a  discontent  which  resulted  in  an  advance  in 
the  price  of  wood  to  $2.50  per  cord.  The  companies  cheerfully  accepted 
the  new  rate  and  at  the  same  time  raised  the  price  of  flour  to  $2.50 
per  sack,  the  prices  of  other  articles  being  increased  in  like  proportion. 
After  a  season  or  two  it  began  to  dawn  on  the  aboriginal  intellect  that 
the  advance  in  price  had  not  been  accompanied  by  a  corresponding 
increase  in  the  comforts  of  life,  ai'd  the  price  was  raised  to  $4  per  cord, 
the  companies  again  meeting  the  demand  with  prompt  acquiescence  and 
a  concurrent  increase  in  the  prices  of  their  commodities.  Here  again 
we  have  an  Alaskan  paradox,  for  the  Indians  are  still  dissatisfied  with 
the  price  they  receive  for  their  wood,  although  it  has  advanced  within 
a  comparatively  short  period  from  $1.50  to  $1  per  cord,  while  the  com- 
panies, on  the  other  hand,  view  the  increase  with  complacency,  born,  of 
course,  of  the  knowledge  that  they  are  Retting  their  wood  for  what  it 
has  always  cost  them,  something  less  than  $1  per  cord.  It  would  seem, 
in  view  of  the  exceedingly  favorable  terms  on  whicli  the  steamboats 
secure  their  fuel,  that  the  Indians,  in  receiving  payment  in  goods,  might 
be  granted  at  least  the  choice  of  selection;  but  in  many  cases,  as  the 
last  sticks  of  wood  are  being  carried  aboard,  the  whistle  is  blown  and 
the  lines  cast  off,  while  the  purser  thrusts  into  the  hands  of  one  or  two 
of  the  Indians  i)ackages  of  flour,  tea,  tobacco,  etc.,  and  hustles  the  crowd 
down  the  gangplank  to  divide  their  pittance  iiiiicng  themselves  on  | 
shore  as  best  they  may. 

While  the  showing  in  tonnage  of  freight  transported  up  the  river 
during  the  past  season  was  exceedingly  poor,  as  stated,  the  corapaniesi 
Avere  even  less  successful  in  handling  the  pusseiiger  traflic.     Up  tol 
September  3,  1897,  the  date  on  whic^,  the  last  steamboat  to  reach! 
Circle  City  left  St.  Michaels,  the  foilr  wing-named  vessels,  which  sailedl 
from  ports  on  the  lower  coast  after  the  commencement  of  the  Klondike] 
"boom,"  had  arrived  at  that  place  ^vith  the  number  of  passengers  indi- 
cated: Hiimhol(1t/2(y7;  Uxcelsior,  113;  Bertha,  13;  Portland,  155;  C'let\-\ 
land,  IGo;  National  City,  50;  South  (Joast,  45;  total  number  of  i)assoii- 
gers,  806.    At  the  date  named  fourteen  more  vessels  were  expected  to 
arrive  at  St.  Michaels  before  the  close  of  the  season  with  i)robably  1,00()| 
passengers.    Of  this  large  number  only  72  got  as  far  as  Circle  Cityl 


It  is 
in  deta 
island  ( 
18,  189' 
droppei 
bound  ] 
gets  go 
a  disqu 
that  ea< 
visions 
refused 
passeng 
portatio 
of  the  C( 
the  Clev 
the  com 
should  s 
While  tl 
sen  gers 
burden,  ] 
Sixty  pa 
Y.  M.  0. 
boat  and 
buying  t 
trip.    Tl 
executive 
who8ele( 
Each  nia 
thing  ab 
Mont. ; 
Thompsc 
B.  Stewa 
sented  b| 
lone  trar 
irterest  L 
privilege! 
intermed| 
stock  hole 
Healy. 
aniount  , 
kind  of  pi 
common 
On  the  n- 
Yukon  r] 
fit  times 
-t  such  t] 
he  next 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


405 


riiiality 
ities  of 
:'  prices 
B  river, 
le  com- 
ds,  and 
,  prices. 
)  degree 
icerned, 
n  "  pur- 
8.    This 
^ance  in 
iccepted 
to  $2.50 
jportion. 
lect  that 
spouding 
per  cord, 
;ence  and 
ere  again 
ifled  with 
ed  within 
5  the  com- 
F,  born,  of 
»r  what  it 
)uld  seem, 
:eaniboats 
)d8,  might 
^es,  as  tho 
jh)wn  and 
)iie  or  two 
tho  crowd  1 
iselves  on  ] 

the  river  I 
companies 
ic.     Tip  to  I 
t  to  reach! 

lich  sailed! 
>,  Klondikel 
iiijera  indil 

■ 

155 i  (Jlevi-l 

of  passon- 

lexpected  to\ 

XrMyUM 

Circle  CityJ 


and  but  38  of  these  succeeded  in  getting  to  Dawson,  while  about  360 
reached  Fort  Yukon,  about  20  remaining  there  for  the  winter,  and  the 
others  returning  to  various  points  down  the  river. 

H.  T.  Watkins,  M.  D.,  of  Olney,  111.,  who  was  a  passenger  on  the 
Cleveland  and  who  reached  Circle  City  on  the  St.  Michael^  has  furnished 
the  following  interesting  statement  relative  to  the  difficulties  experi- 
enced in  getting  up  the  river: 

It  is  with  pleasure  that  I  comply  with  your  request  for  a  statement 
in  detail  of  the  trip  of  the  stern-wheel  steamer  St.  Michael  from  the 
island  of  St.  Michaels  to  Circle  City,  Alaska.  On  the  morning  of  August 
18,  1897,  the  steamer  Cleveland,  which  left  Seattle,  Wash.,  Augjist  5, 
di'opped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  St.  Michaels  with  160  passengers 
bound  for  Dawson,  Northwest  Territory,  Canada.  When  these  passen- 
gers got  ashore  they  found  the  news  from  up  the  Yukon  Itiver  of  such 
a  disquieting  nature  as  regarded  the  food  supply  at  upriver  pttints 
that  each  one  at  once  began  to  devise  ways  and  means  of  taking  pro- 
visions along  with  him.  The  two  transportation  companies  absolutely 
refused  to  carry  more  freight  than  150  pounds  of  baggage  for  each 
passenger.  Mr.  Shepherd,  the  agent  of  the  North  American  Trans- 
portation and  Trading  Company  at  St.  Michaels,  defended  the  position 
of  the  company  to  a  committee  of  live  appointed  by  the  passengers  of 
the  Cleveland,  by  stating  that  it  would  be  unfair  to  the  men  already  in 
the  country  without  food  to  carry  food  for  individuals,  but  that  all 
should  share  alike  when  their  boats  should  reach  their  d-^^i nation. 
While  these  conferences  be^^ween  the  trading  companies  and  t.aeir  pas- 
sengers were  taking  place  the  stern- wheel  steamer  St.  Michael,  14^  tons 
burden,  belonging  to  the  Jesuit  Mission  at  that  place,  came  into  port. 
Sixty  passengers  at  once  formed  a  cooperative  association  called  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  (Yukon  Miners'  Cooperative  Association),  and  bought  the 
boat  and  her  barge  for  $10,6(K),  assessing  each  member  $200.  After 
buying  the  boat  they  had  $1,500  bft  for  the  incidental  expenses  of  the 
trip.  They  drafted  by-laws  for  the  government  of  the  association,  the 
executive  part  of  the  business  being  put  in  the  hands  of  Ave  directors, 
who  selected  a  volunteer  crew  of  sixteen  men  from  the  sixty  stockhoiders. 
Each  man  was  paid  $1  for  the  trip.  None  of  the  crew  understood  any- 
thing about  steamboating  excepting  Capt.  E.  T.  Barnette,  of  Helena, 
Mont.;  Thomas  Marshall,  of  Gloucester,  Mass.,  mate,  and  W.  L. 
Thompson,  of  Oalway,  Ireland,  second  mate.  The  engineer  was  Charles 
R.  Stewart,  of  New  York.  The  balance  of  the  crew  was  fully  repre- 
sented by  a  lawyer,  a  doctor,  clerks,  drummers,  miners,  and  a  poor, 
lone  tramp  printer.  Each  share  of  $200  represented  a  one-sixtieth 
irterest  in  the  steamer  and  barge,  and  entitled  the  shareholder  to  the 
privilege  of  transporting  1,000  pounds  of  freight  to  Dawson  or  any 
intermediate  point  on  the  river,  but  not  to  passage  for  himself.  All  the 
stockholders,  except  the  crew,  took  passage  up  the  river  on  the  steamer 
Healy.  Esich  stockholder  gave  the  secretary  a  list  of  the  kind  and 
amount  of  provisions  he  wished,  and  the  aggregated  amount  of  each 
kiudof  provisions  was  bought  and  loaded  on  the  boat  and  barge  in  a 
common  cargo  of  thirty-five  tons,  ii:  3luding  the  baggage  of  the  crew. 
On  the  morning  of  August  29  the  St,  Michael  put  to  sea,  bouud  for  the 
Yukon  Kiver.  The  sea  was  too  rough  for  a  boat  of  her  size.  The  swells 
iit  times  lifticd  the  steru  of  the  boat  clear  of  the  water,  and  her  wheel 
•it  such  times  would  make  two  or  three  rapid  revolutions  in  the  air  and 
-he  next  minute  be  half  submerged  iu  the  succeeding  swell.  She  put 
4584— No.  10 8 


I!      * 
1 


406 


BULLETIN  OP  THK  DBPABTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


back  iuto  the  harbor  of  St.  Michaels  and  traversed  the  canal  that 
passes  throagh  the  island,  at  the  mouth  of  which  she  laid  over  until 
night,  when  she  made  the  run  across  Bering  Sea  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Yukon  River,  which  was  reached  early  the  next  morning.  Hero  wo 
had  great  dimculty  in  entering  the  river.  Onr  Indian  gnide,  called  by 
oonrtosy  "pilotj"  apparently  did  not  understand  the  route  into  the 
river  by  the  mam  channel,  for  after  putting  the  boat  hard  aground  the 
second  time  that  morning  ho  lost  Ins  head  comi>letcly,  and  the  only 
expression  wo  could  eli''it  from  him  was,  "Alo  no  savey,  me  no  savoy." 
After  great  labor  with  capstan  and  spar  the  boat  was  worked  into 
deeper  water  and  the  anchor  dropped,  and  a  channel  deep  enough  for 
the  boat  to  enter  the  river  was  found  by  sounding  in  a  rowboat  ahead 
of  the  steamer.  Six  hours  were  lost  hero  in  getting  oft'  the  bar  and 
hunting  a  deep  channel  into  the  river,  and  the  boat  bare'y  reached  fuel 
in  time  to  escape  the  predicament  of  being  practically  at  sea  without 
motive  power,  as  we  were  burning  our  last  cord  of  wood  when  wo 
reached  the  first  wood  pile  on  the  Yukon,  Our  Indian  guide  had  often 
piloted  this  same  boat  into  the  Yukon  River,  but  never  before  with  a 
cargo,  and  had  been  in  the  habit  of  entering  the  river  regardless  of 
channels.  Unloaded,  the  steamer  drew  about  eighteen  inches ;  loaded 
as  she  was,  her  draft  was  three  feet  nine  inches,  and  this  explained  the 
failure  of  the  Indian  guide.  The  deepest  water  we  found  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  was  four  feet,  but  we  had  missed  the  opportunity  of  enter- 
ing the  river  at  high  tide. 

The  greatest  difflculties  encountered,  aside  from  some  troubles  that 
occurred  between  the  stockholders  in  the  enterprise  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  trip,  were  the  finding  of  trustworthy  pilots  and  securing 
^ood  for  fuel  when  needed  and  in  getting  through  some  stretches  of 
very  rapid  water  encountered  on  tho  trip.  If  the  captain  and  the  two 
mates  of  the  St.  Michael  had  not  been  good  judges  of  bad  water  it 
would  have  been  impossible  for  tho  boat,  manned  as  she  was,  to  accom- 
plish her  passage  of  1,750  miles  up  the  river.  During  the  early  part  of 
the  trip  tho  Indian  pilots  took  their  turn  at  tho  wheel  with  tlio  captain 
and  the  mates,  but  they  very  soon  i)roved  their  inefficiency  by  getting 
into  shoal  water  and  on  bars  and  were  relieved  of  this  duty  entirely 
and  used  merely  as  guides  to  the  river,  it  being  difficult  to  find  tho  main 
channel  without  them,  as  the  river  is  cut  into  many  channels  by  islands 
so  largo  that  to  a  stranger  to  the  water  they  have  tho  appearance  of 
being  the  mainland.  Injustice  to  the  Indian  pilots  ou  tho  other  boats 
]dying  the  river  it  must  bo  said  that  it  is  very  probable  that  we  had  to 
deal  with  men  that  Mere  not  experienced  pilots,  as  it  is  likely  that  tho 
transportation  coftipanies  have  all  Hie  experienced  river  pilots  in  their 
employ. 

Another  trouble  which  arose  in  dealing  with  tho  Indian  guides  arose 
from  the  fact  that  tliey  have  no  sense  of  honor  as  regards  contracts. 
None  of  the  guides  was  paid  less  than  $4  a  day,  yet  ono  of  them  struck 
for  higher  wages  four  times  in  coming  a  distance  of  150  miles.  Wo 
acceded  to  his  demands  each  time,  but  when  wo  readied  his  stopping 
jilace  wo  paid  him,  as  per  original  contract,  $4  a  day. 

At  noon  on  September  4  we  reached  tho  Holy  Cross  Mission,  370 
miles  from  St.  Michaels.  Here  wo  stopped  to  get  some  tools  belonging 
to  tlio  boat  and  visited  tho  mission  school  for  the  education  of  Indian 
children.  It  contained  about  thirty  boys  and  thirty  girls.  This  is  the 
only  point  on  the  river  where  we  saw  a  pound  of  food  tliat  had  not  been 
imported  into  the  country.  Through  tho  kindness  oftho  mother  superior 
and  Sister  Mary  Winnifred  wo  weVe  shown  throngli  the  garden  of  the 


THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


407 


iiial  that 
)Vt'r  until 
ih  of  the 

Hero  wo 
called  by 

into  tlie 
round  the 
I  the  only 
10  savey." 
rked  into 
nough  for 
jat  ahead 
obar  and 
ached  fuel 
sa  without 

when  wo 

had  often 
"orowith  a 
fardless  of 
Bs;  loaded 
(lained  the 
the  mouth 
Y  of  enter- 

mbles  that 
the  latter 
a  Becuring 
tretches  of 
nd  the  two 
d  water  it 
,  to  accom- 
irly  part  of 
ilio  captain 
by  getting 
ty  entirely 
d  thojnain 

by  islanda 
>earauce  of 
)ther  boats 

Ave  had  to 
!ly  that  the 
ots  in  their 

uides  arose 
9  contracts, 
hem  struck 
miles.  Wo 
lis  stoi)ping 

klission,  370 
belonging 
n  of  Indian 
Tills  is  the 
ad  not  been 
iier  superior 
irden  of  the 


luissioD.  This  garden  was  planted  in  the  middle  of  May,  two  weeks 
before  the  ice  broke  up  in  the  river,  and  was  worked  at  night,  as  at 
that  season  of  the  year  tliis  is  the  land  of  the  midnight  sun.  The  garden 
contained  potatoes,  cabbage,  rutabagas,  turnips,  and  canliliowers.  The 
sisters  had  a  hill  of  potatoes  dug  in  our  presence,  and  it  contained  (if- 
teen  largo  and  three  small  potatoes,  fully  matured.  Tlio  cabbiiges  were 
large  and  the  heads  solid  and  firm.  They  were  of  the  Early  .lersey 
Wakefield  variety,  the  only  kind  found  by  experiment  to  mature  into 
solid  heads  in  this  latitude. 

Up  to  the  time  wo  reached  Nulato,  630  miles  from  St.  Michaels,  where 
we  arrived  September  8,  no  difficulty  was  experienced  in  regard  to 
fuel.  Plenty  of  cord- wood  was  found  for  sale  at  the  uniform  price  of  $4 
a  cord.  This  was  jiaid  for  in  money  and  in  trade.  At  the  missions  and 
trading  posts  the  Indians  demanded  money  for  their  wood;  at  their 
huts,  remote  from  posts  or  missions,  they  were  paid  in  trade— four  cup- 
fuls  of  sugar  or  tea  for  $1.  This  trading  tea  was  vile  sturt'.  Calico  was 
accepted  by  the  Indians  at  25  cents  a  yard,  and  other  articles  at  the 
same  ratio.  During  the  latter  part  of  the  trip  cord-wood  was  scarce, 
and  the  crew  almost  daily  had  to  cut  the  wood  for  a  day's  run.  The 
boat  would  bo  stopped  at  drift  piles  and  the  wood  put  aboard  in  long 
lengths  and  cut  for  the  furnace  while  the  boat  was  in  motion.  Often 
we  could  not  make  a  landing  at  the  drift  piles  on  account  of  shoal 
water  near  the  shore.  In  such  cases  the  anchor  was  dropped  and  the 
fuel  loaded  on  the  steamer  with  a  rowboat.  For  a  distance  of  thirty 
miles  above  Rampart  City  (Minook  Creek)  dry  wood  of  any  description 
was  exceedingly  scarce.  There  is  plenty  of  gieeii  wood,  which  wo 
attempted  to  burn,  but  we  could  not  keep  steam  up  with  it.  During 
this  time  of  scarcity  of  fuel  we  discovered  a  vein  of  coal  about  eighteen 
miles  above  Minook  Creek.  The  boat  was  stopped  and  about  two  tons 
of  coal  dug  from  the  mountain  side  and  loaded  aboard  the  boat.  The 
quality  of  this  coal  was  very  poor,  and  the  most  of  it  was  dumped 
overboard  the  next  day,  having  slacked  to  dust  in  that  time.  In  my 
judgment  this  question  of  ready  fuel  for  boats  next  year  will  be  the 
key  to  the  solution  of  the  problem  of  supplying  sufficient  food  for  the 
increasing  number  of  people  coming  into  the  country.  If  the  number  of 
boats  plying  the  river  is  veiy  largely  increased  next  year,  the  demand 
for  ready  fuel  will  far  exceed  the  supply. 

The  steamer  met  with  several  serious  accidents  on  the  way  up  the 
river.  Two  blow-outs  of  the  connections  in  the  steam  pipes  delayed  us 
seriously  on  the  trip,  as  we  had  to  lay  up  until  the  damage  was  repaired. 
The  first  accident  occurred  on  the  second  day  out,  while  the  boat  was 
wooding,  and  the  second  occurred  just  below  Ilanipart  City.  This  last 
accident  completely  disabled  the  boat  in  midstream.  The  Stars  and 
Stripes  had  just  been  hoisted  on  the  tlagstaft",  so  as  to  go  into  the  city 
with  colors  flying,  when  the  exhaust  suddenly  stopi)ed.  The  boat  was 
immediately  envelojied  in  steam  and  began  to  drift  helplessly  down 
stream.  She  drifted  about  a  mile,  when  she  was  gotten  under  control 
sufficiently  to  make  a  landing,  when  the  damage  was  repaired.  We 
lost  about  twenty  hours  in  making  the  repairs  necessitated  by  these 
blow-outs.  An  accident  to  the  machinery  of  a  boat  plying  this  river  is 
a  serious  matter  unless  the  boat  carries  duplicate  parts  lor  her  engines 
and  steam  connections,  which  tlie  St.  Michael  had  only  in  part,  for  they 
can  not  be  replaced  on  the  river  or  anywhere  o\\  the  coast  short  of 
Seattle  or  Portland. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  September  7  the  dreaded  cry  of  "Fire!"  was 
heard  aboard  the  St.  Michael.    Tlie  captain  was  at  the  wheel  at  the 


408 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


time.  He  placed  it  in  charge  of  the  mate  and  came  below,  and  found 
on  investigation  that  the  timbers  beneath  tho  flro  box  were  burning. 
He  ordered  all  doors  and  windows  closed  and  excluded  the  air  iVom  the 
fire  as  much  as  possible  by  the  use  of  sacks  of  flour  and  corn  meal. 
The  boat  was  run  about  a  mile  upstream  and  a  landing  made,  where 
the  smouldering  fire  was  extinguished.  It  was  impossible  to  make  a 
landing  sooner  on  account  of  long  stretches  of  bars  and  shoal  water  on 
either  shore.  This  part  of  the  narrative  of  the  trip  should  not  be  passed 
without  saying  that  in  all  probability  the  career  of  the  8t.  Michael  would 
have  ended  at  this  point  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  coolness  and  rare 
presence  of  mind  di8i)layod  by  the  captain  and  the  fidelity  in  the  exe- 
cution of  commands  shown  by  the  two  mates  in  this  hour  of  rare 
danger. 

We  reached  Minook  Creek  (Rampart  City),  1,000  miles  from  St. 
Michaels,  at  8  a.  m.  September  14.  Here  we  found  fourteen  of  our 
stockholders,  who  preferred  remaining  at  that  point  to  ))roceeding  far- 
ther up  the  river,  as  the  steamer  Hamilton,  returning  down  the  river, 
had  reported  that  it  was  impossible  for  boats  to  proceed  farther  than 
Fort  Yukon  on  account  of  the  low  stage  of  water  in  the  river.  Their 
share  of  the  cargo  was  given  them  and  the  journey  continued.  At 
Minook  we  learned  the  sad  news  of  the  death  of  H.  B.  Tucker,  by  freez- 
ing. He  was  from  Troy,  N.  Y.,  being  a  son  of  the  proprietor  of  the 
Troy  Press  .and  a  stockholder  in  the  steamer  St.  Michael.  The  circum- 
stances attending  his  death  were  peculiarly  sad.  He  started  with  three 
companions  to  go  fourteen  miles  up  Minook  Creek  for  the  purpose  of 
locating  a  placer  mining  claim.  Each  man  took  a  pack  containing  two 
blankets  and  food  for  two  days.  They  reached  tho  ground  and  located 
their  claims  the  next  day,  and  started  back  to  Rampart  City,  at  the 
mouth  of  Minook  Creek.  The  party  became  separated,  two  going  one 
way,  and  Mr.  Tucker  and  Mr.  D.  P.  Powell,  of  New  York,  taking 
another  route.  Night  overtook  Tucker  and  Powell  before  they  reached 
their  destination,  and  they  built  a  fire  and  camped  for  the  night  on  the 
trail.  It  had  been  snowing  all  day,  and  the  snow  continued  to  fall 
throughout  the  night.  The  next  morning  they  breakfasted  on  two  sea 
biscuits  and  a  cup  of  coflee,  all  the  food  they  had  left,  and  resumed 
their  return  journey.  After  traveling  about  three  hours,  Mr.  Tucker 
complained  of  being  very  tired.  They  rested  a  while,  and  before  resum- 
ing their  way.  Tucker  said  that  he  was  very  chilly.  After  walking 
another  hour  he  wished  to  rest  again,  but  his  companion  urged  him  to 
continue  walking,  as  he  was  afraid  they  might  not  be  able  to  reach 
their  destination  before  night,  for  the  walking  through  the  moss  and 
wet  snow  with  which  the  country  was  covered  was  very  difficult  and 
slow.  In  a  short  time  Powell  noticed  that  his  companion  was  not  fol- 
lowing him,  but  was  wandering  blindly  from  the  trail  in  the  opposite 
direction.  He  went  to  him  and  said,  "Tucker,  this  is  no  time  for 
pranks."  To  this  remark  he  received  an  incoherent  reply.  He  then 
realized  for  the  first  time  that  Tucker's  condition  was  serious.  He  led 
.  him  back  into  the  trail  and  urged  him  on  before  him.  In  a  short  time 
Tucker  sank  to  his  knees,  and  could  not  be  urged  farther ;  in  fact,  he 
could  not  be  roused  sufficiently  to  elicit  a  reply  to  questions  as  to  his 
condition.  Powell  then  placed  him  in  a  bitting  posture  beside  a  tree, 
wrapped  all  the  blankets  they  had  about  him,  and  started  for  help. 
In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  Powell  met  two  men  on  the  trail,  and  the 
three  started  at  once  to  Tucker's  relief,  but  when  they  reached  him  he 
was  cold  and  stiff'  in  death.  Two  days  later  he  was  buried  in  a  rubber 
blanket  on  the  trail  where  he  died,  tliere  being  no  lumber  at  this  i)oint 
with  which  to  make  a  coffin.    This  account  of  the  circumstances  attend- 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD    FIELDS. 


409 


md  fuuud 
)  burning. 
r  from  the 
ioru  meal, 
de,  where 
;o  make  a 
[  water  on 
be  passed 
lael  would 
3  and  rare 
n  the  exe- 
ir  of  rare 

from  St. 
en  of  our 
seding  far- 
the  river, 
ither  than 
er.  Their 
nued.  At 
•,  by  fi-eez- 
itor  of  the 
he  circum- 
with  three 
purpose  of 
aiuing  two 
ud  located 
iity,  at  the 

going  one 
rk,  taking 
ey  reached 
ght  on  the 
lied  to  fall 
on  two  sea 
d  resumed 
tfr.  Tucker 
Fore  resum- 
3r  walking 
ged  him  to 
e  to  reach 
Q  mosH  and 
iflflcult  and 
ras  not  fol- 
le  opposite 
o  time  for 
.  He  then 
LS.  He  led 
short  time 
in  fact,  he 
18  as  to  his 
side  a  tree, 
d  for  help, 
lil,  and  the 
hed  him  he 
in  a  rubber 
t  this  point 
ces  attend- 


ing the  death  of  Tucker  was  given  me  by  Powell,  his  traveling  com- 
paulon  on  the  illfiitcd  trip.  Tliere  buiiig  no  civil  olllcor?  at  Ham|)art 
City,  the  stockholders  of  the  Y.  M.  C  AsHociatioii  lield  a  me«^tiiig 
aboard  the  iSt.  Michael  Sei)tember  15  and  appointed  Mr,  l''rank  (lleason, 
of  l)a»^enport,  Iowa,  and  JMr.  (ieorge  M.  Reed,  of  Hoston,  MaHs.,  joint 
custodians  of  Mr.  Tucker's  eiiects.  His  1,000  pounds  of  food  aboard 
the  boat  was  sold  for  $123.85,  the  amount  exj)ended  in  its  purchase  at 
St.  Michaels,  and  jOaced  in  the  ship's  stores.  The  genMonicu  named 
were  instructed  to  put  themselves  in  communication  with  Mr.  Tucker's 
parents  and  send  this  money  and  his  other  ettects  to  tlioni.  Mr.  Tucker 
died  September  11,  and  his  was  the  second  deatli  occurring  among  tlie 
passengers  of  the  Cleveland.  The  other  death  occurred  on  board  tiie 
Jleuly,  just  below  the  (Ireek  Mission.  The  deceased's  Hurnanio  was 
Georg,  a  Syrian,  from  Washington,  D.  O.  He  was  buried  at  the 
Greek  Mission.  After  a  delay  here  of  thirty-six  hotirs  in  discharging 
a  part  of  the  cargo  and  repairing  some  steam  connections,  the  boat 
proceeded  on  her  way  up  the  river. 

Another  stop  was  made  at  Alder  Creek,  twenty  miles  above  Itampart 
City,  on  account  of  the  serious  illness  of  the  captain,  and  also  to  allow 
the  crew  to  lo(!ate  ]>la('er  mining  claims  o«  this  creek,  which  was  the 
center  at  that  time  of  a  wild  stampede  from  Kampart  City,  gold  being 
found  there  in  paying  quantities.  Most  of  the  crew  located  claims  here, 
and  here  we  got  a  clew  to  the  mystery  of  how  a  strong  i)erson  couhl 
freeze  to  death  in  this  latitude  in  the  month  of  September.  All  the 
crew,  exce])t  the  captain  and  surgeon,  started  up  the  creek  early  in  the 
morning  of  September  Ifi,  and  had  to  walk  about  twelve  miles  before 
they  reached  the  portion  of  tlie  creek  not  staked.  All  were  strong, 
healthy  men,  and  each  carried  a  i)ack  of  about  thirty  pounds  on  his 
back.  The  weather  was  damp,  but  not  severely  cold.  It  had  been 
snowing  some  each  day  for  a  week,  and  the  small  mountain  streams  had 
been  frozen  to  a  depth  of  an  inch.  About  4  p.  m.  the  men  began  to  get 
back  to  the  boat  and  continued  to  straggle  in  until  10  p.  m.  With  but 
three  exceptions  tL3y  were  almost  completely  exhausted  and  their 
features  i)inched  and  haggard.  After  sitting  down  for  a  few  minutes 
they  would  begin  to  shiver  and  their  teeth  to  chatter.  An  examination 
disclosed  the  fiict  that  each  man's  clothing  was  wringing  wet,  necessi- 
tating a  complete  change  of  clothing.  This  moisture  results  from  per- 
spiration, and  is  a  source  of  great  danger  to  men  inexperienced  in  this 
climate.  The  freedom  with  which  a  person  will  perspire  here  under 
continued  exertion  is  something  remarkable.  The  cold  forms  a  flue 
coating  of  frost  on  the  outside  of  the  clothing  when  W(trn  to  lit  the  body 
snugly,  which  gives  it  practically  an  impervious  coating.  All  moisture 
is  retained  within,  and  it  is  a  dangerous  thing  to  sit  down  on  the  trail 
to  rest  when  in  this  condition,  as  the  chilling  of  the  body  occurs  very 
quickly.  Most  persons  come  into  this  country  with  preconceived  ideas 
of  combating  the  cold.  They  bring  the  heaviest  of  clothing  and  furs 
with  them,  which  are  all  right  and  necessary  for  use  about  camp  or 
when  riding,  but  when  on  the  march  or  doing  heavy  work,  lighter  cloth- 
ing is  preferable,  if  not  absolutely  necessary.  At  the  hour  of  10  p.  m. 
six  of  the  crew  had  not  returned  to  the  boat,  and  the  surgeon  took  a 
lantern  and  started  up  the  trail  to  meet  them.  He  met  the  first  four 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  boat.  They  were  badly  exhausted, 
and  told  him  that  Thomas  Marshall  was  behind  assisting  one  of  the  men, 
who  had  completely  given  out.  He  found  them  a  short  distance  farther 
up  the  trail.  Mr.  Marshall  was  carrying  his  own  and  also  his  com- 
panion's pack  and  assisting  the  exhausted  man  to  walk,  with  an  arm 
around  his  waist.    The  man  was  helped  to  the  boat,  stripped,  and  put 


'  -•>< 


s.T^ 


<<  4^ 


,%.. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  {MT-3) 


1.0  :s«^  e 


I.I 


1.23 


M 

2.0 


1^       P:0 


1.6 


U    IIIIII.6 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


w^s, 


iV 


f>^ 


<^riV 


^^\\ 


^<b 


.V 


c^ 


%' 


<^ 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


is 


1 


%p 


c^ 


410 


BULLETIN   OP   THE   DEPARTMENT   OP    LABOR. 


to  bed,  having  undergone  an  experience  which  it  required  an  Alaska 
climate  and  moss  to  duplicate.  This  man  was  strong  and  weighed  190 
pounds,  being  a  miner  from  Montana  who  had  roughed  it  for  years  in 
the  mountains  of  that  State.  His  powers  of  endurance  had  been,  all 
right  until  ho  stopped  with  three  companions  toward  nightfall  to  make 
a  cap  of  coflfee.  He  then  became  chilled  from  the  wet  condition  of  his 
clothing,  and  shortly  after  resuming  the  trail,  gave  out.  The  condition 
of  his  companions  was  but  little  better.  They  attempted  to  make  a  fire 
-and  cauip,  but  could  not  find  dry  wood  in  sufficient  quantities  to  make 
a  fire  large  enough  to  dry  their  clothing.  Mr.  Marshall,  who  had  to  go 
the  greatest  distance  to  locate  his  claim,  overtook  them  on  his  way  back, 
and  realizing  the  danger  in  the  situation,  took  the  exhausted  man's  pack 
and  urged  them  all  forward.  The  trail  crossed  and  recrossed  the  creek 
scores  of  times,  and  the  man  was  so  weak  that  he  could  not  wade  the 
creek  without  being  swept  from  hia  feet.  At  these  places  Mr.  Marshall 
placed  him  on  his  back  and  carried  him  across,  and  when  he  reached 
the  boat,  after  six  miles  of  this  work,  he  was  apparently  unconscious 
that  he  had  been  doing  a  noble  work  that  day,  but  every  thoughtful 
man  who  looked  into  his  i)inched  and  haggard  face  knew  that  ho  was  a 
hero.  Some  of  the  men  who  started  that  morning  returned  without 
accomplishing  their  object  on  account  of  the  difficulties  encountered 
walking  through  moss  a  foot  or  a  foot  and  a  half  deep.  The  three  wlio 
came  back  in  the  best  shape  kept  in  motion  all  day  and  had  no  oppor- 
tunity of  getting  chilled. 

The  captain's  condition  the  next  morning  was  not  improved.  He  had 
been  sufi'ering  intensely  for  two  days  with  pleurisy  and  a  form  of  ente- 
ritis, and  the  motion  of  the  boat  was  agony  to  him.  He  was  strongly 
tirged  by  the  surgeonand  crewto  have  tlieboattakehim  back  toMinook, 
where  he  could  be  put  in  a  cabin  and  properly  cared  for,  as  the  super- 
structure of  the  boat  was  nothing  but  a  mere  shell  of  thin  woodwork 
inclosing  the  engine  and  boiler,  covered  with  canvas,  and  could  net  be 
kept  warm.  He  refused  to  consent  to  this,  saying  that  he  had  prom- 
ised the  Hhareholders  when  in  St.  Michaels  that  as  long  as  there  was 
cub  of  them  above  him  ou  the  river  nothing  short  of  conditions  which 
could  not  be  overcome  would  keep  him  from  taking  their  foo'"  to  tbem, 
and  that  he  preferred  the  increased  chances  of  death  aboard  the  boat 
to  a  failure  to  keep  his  promise.  He  placed  the  boat  in  charge  of  the 
mate,  and  at  noon,  September  17,  the/S*.  Michael  was  under  way  again, 
having  lost  eighteen  hours  of  running  time  at  Alder  Creek,  the  whole 
of  the  l(Jth  and  half  of  the  17th,  the  boat  following  the  usual  'luntom 
of  the  river  of  laying  up  at  night. 

On  September  19  the  St.  Michael  met  the  Healy  coming  down  the  river. 
She  had  twenty-five  passengers  of  the  steamer  Cleveland,  returning 
back  home;  also  six  of  the  stockholders  in  the  steadier  kt  Michael. 
The  latter  were  taken  aboard,  and  the  boat  proceeded  on  her  way  up 
the  river,  reaching  Fort  Yukon  on  the  23d,  in  the  evening.  Here  wo 
found  twelve  more  of  our  stockholders,  they  having  been  left  at  that 
point  by  the  steamer  Healy,  her  captain  claiming  that  he  was  unable  to 
I>ro(!eed  farther  up  the  river  on  account  of  the  low  water.  We  learned 
hero  that  the  steamers  Alice,  Hamilton,  and  i/ert/»/ had  discharged  their 
entire  cargoes  at  this  point  and  returned  down  the  river.  The  steam- 
ers Bella  and  Weave  had  discharged  the  greater  part  of  their  cargoes 
at  this  i)oint  also,  and  proceeded  up  the  river  with  light  loads.  The 
Bella  also  dropped  her  barge  at  this  point,  having  previously  disciharged 
about  one-third  of  her  original  cargo  at  Fort  Hamlin.  Why  the 
steamer  Weare  did  not  pick  up  the  passengers  left  at  this  point  by  the 
Bi/Camer  Healy  and  carry  them  to  their  destination  is  an  enigma  to  all 


1^-.. 


H!  •!! 


THE   ALASIL-VN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


411 


intelligent  men  who  know  the  circumstances  of  the  case.  Both  boats 
belong  to  the  same  transportation  company,  and  all  the  passengers 
held  tickets,  purchased  from  this  company,  calling  for  transportation 
from  Seattle  to  Dawson.  There  was  no  shelter  for  them  at  Fort  Yukon 
and  it  was  the  most  inhospitable  point  at  which  to  leave  them,  being 
the  only  trading  post  on  the  river  strictly  within  the  ArcticCircle.  The 
twelve  stranded  stockholders  were  taken  aboard  the  St.  Michael.  The 
boat  was  crowded  far  beyond  her  capacity,  part  of  the  men  being  com- 
pelled to  sleep  in  the  open  air,  on  the  canvas  top  of  the  boat.  We 
lost  twenty-four  hours  at  Fort  Yukon  shifting  the  cargo  to  make  room 
for  the  additional  men  and  their  effects,  and  left  that  point  at  3  p.  ra. 
September  24.  A  man  was  placed  on  the  bow  of  the  boat,  and  one  was 
also  placed  on  the  barge,  with  poles  to  sound  the  depth  of  the  channel 
over  the  bars  above  Fort  Yukon.  We  were  reliably  informed  at  Fort 
Yukon  that  the  St.  Michael  was  drawing  too  much  water  (42  inches)  to 
get  over  the  bars.  We  found  at  the  shallowest  part  of  the  channel 
four  and  one-half  feet  of  water. 

Ou  the  evening  of  the  28th  Circle  City  was  reached.  Ice  began  run- 
ning in  the  river  during  that  night.  Part  of  the  stockholders  concluded 
to  istop  here,  and  their  part  of  the  cargo  was  put  ashore,  this  work 
occupying  the  whole  of  September  29.  Nineteen  of  the  stockholders 
concluded  to  risk  and  attempt  to  proceed  on  the  way  to  Dawson.  The 
weather  grew  colder,  and  the  next  day,  the  30th,  the  ice  was  running 
so  thickly  and  the  river  falling" so  fast  that  the  conclusion  was  reached 
to  wait  for  softer  weather.  One  of  the  factors  that  forced  this  decision 
was  the  fact  that  we  were  compelled  to  drop  our  barge  l.>ere  and  load 
the  remainder  of  the  cargo  on  the  boat.  This  put  her  eight  inches 
deeper  in  the  water.  The  barge  was  a  double-bowed  barge  of  twenty 
tons  burden.  Instead  of  moderating,  the  weather  grow  colder,  and  the 
river  partially  closed,  freezing  toward  the  center  from  both  shores  to  a 
depth  of  eight  inches.  This  shore  ice  lessened  by  two-thirds  the  nav- 
igable width  of  the  river,  leaving  a  narrow  channel  between  of  swift 
Avater,  filled  with  moving  cakes  of  ice.  By  October  10  the  weather 
moderated  and  the  river  began  to  rise.  The  captain  had  the  forward 
part  of  the  boat  sheathed  with  sheet-iron  to  protect  her  from  the  run- 
ning ice,  and  also  had  a  channel  cut  through  the  ice  from  the  boat  to 
the  running  water  in  the  river.  This  channel  was  30  feet  wide  and 
about  350  feet  long.  These  preparations  were  made  with  the  intention 
of  proceeding  on  ths  way  to  Dawson  as  soon  as  the  boat  was  loaded. 

A  t  St.  Micliael's  the  men  Avho  entered  the  cooperative  scheme  to  buy 
the  steamer  hoped  the  outcome  of  the  venture  would  prove  a  happy 
illustration  of  the  benefits  of  cooperation,  and  the  venture  as  far  as 
Circle  City  benefited  all  the  m'^n  interested.  They  got  a  year's  supply 
of  food  for  each  into  the  country,  and  proceeded  farther  into  the  interior 
than  any  of  their  fellow  passengers  from  Seattle,  except  Capt.  P.  n.  Ray, 
U.  S.  A.,  and  one  other  individual.  These  two  passengers  were  taken 
Irom  Fort  Yukon  on  the  steamer  Bella.  The  cost  of  "X  share  of  stock 
in  the  boat  and  a  year's  supply  of  food  for  each  individual  amounted  to 
less  than  one-half  the  cost  of  the  same  amount  of  food  if  bought  in 
Circle  City,  not  to  say  anything  of  the  difiiculty  of  purchasing  food 
here  at  any  price.  If  the  boat  had  been  a  complete  loss  at  her  destina- 
tion each  stockholder  would  have  been  the  gainer  in  dollars  and  cents 
from  tills  one  trip.  But  unhappily  the  tale  of  this  trip  of  the  St.  Michael 
would  not  be  complete  if  the  reasons  were  not  given  for  the  failure  ot 
the  boat  to  proceed  farther  ou  toward  her  destination.  As  stated 
previously,  the  weather  began  to  moderate,  a  channel  was  cut  through 
the  ice  to  get  the  boat  into  running  water,  and  the  effeuts  of  the  niue- 


\l 


: 


412 


BULLETIN   OF   THE    DEPARTMENT    OF  LABOR. 


i    ! 


I-    ^ 
I:    ! 


teen  men  who  had  concluded  to  go  on  to  Dawson  were  being  loaded 
when  the  first  difficulty  in  the  cooperaoive  scheme  occurred.  The 
stockholders  who  intended  to  remain  in  Circle  City  sold  their  stock  to 
other  parties  who  wished  to  go  to  Dawson,  and  these  purchasers  claimed 
che  same  rights  and  prerogatives  as  the  original  purchasers  of  stock, 
and  insisted  on  taking  1,000  jiounds  of  freig-lit  each  aboard.  We  sub- 
mitted our  difficulties  to  a  board  of  arbitration,  composed  of  Oapt.  P. 
H.  Eay,  U.  S.  A.,  and  Mr.  Charles  EaLou  and  Mr.  L.  Poot,  of  Circle  Qity. 
They  decided  that  a  transfer  of  stock  carried  with  it  all  the  rights  of 
the  original  purchasers,  and  that  each  stockholdor  was  entitled  to  carry 
1,000  pounds  of  freiglit  aboard  the  boat.  The  boat  could  not  carry  the 
load,  and  it  was  impracticable  to  take  the  barge,  as  the  engino  was  not 
powerful  enough  to  tow  it  through  the  narrowed  channel  formed  by  the 
ice  exteudiug  from  each  shore.  We  had  learned  this  from  our  experi- 
ences coming  up  the  river.  Just  below  the  mouth  of  the  Tanana  we 
had  had  great  difficulty  in  proceeding  upstream  on  account  of  the  force 
of  the  current  and  the  absence  on  both  shores  of  eddies  in  the  water  of 
which  advantage  miglit  be  taken.  We  eventually  got  up  into  less  swift 
water  by  quartering  across  the  river  several  times,  gaining  a  little  with 
each  tack  across  the  stream.  At  that  point  we  were  four  hours  in  mov- 
ing upstream  one  mile.  Between  Fort  Yukon  and  Circle  City  we  struck 
another  very  rapid  stretch  of  water,  and  succeeded  in  overcoming  it  by 
the  same  maneuvers;  butoixr  progress  through  it  was  painfully  slow. 
After  the  decision  of  the  arbitrators.  Captain  Barnette  decided  that  it 
was  useless  to  attempt  to  go  farther  up  the  river;  but  we  were  all 
monomaniacs  on  the  sub.'act  of  getting  to  Dawson,  and  persuaded  him 
to  make  the  attempt,  even  overloaded  as  the  boat  would  be.  Accord- 
ingly, on  the  morning  of  October  15,  the  St.  Michael  was  backed  through 
the  channel  cut  in  the  ice  into  the  running  water  in  the  river.  Here 
she  was  unable  to  breast  the  current,  and  after  half  an  hour's  attempt 
to  go  upstream  the  captain  made  a  landing,  and  told  the  men  that  it 
was  hazardous  to  attempt  and  impossible  to  go  up  the  river  unless  half 
the  men  would  consent  to  remain  behind  and  allow  the  others  to  go. 
Each  man  wished  his  neighbor  to  remain  but  wanted  to  go  himself. 
In  disgust  the  captain  resigned,  and  he,  with  the  two  mates  and  the 
surgeon,  had  their  effects  unloaded  and  bade  adieu  to  the  iSt.  Michael. 
The  remainder  of  the  shareholders  elected  a  new  captain,  employed  the 
engineer  of  the  steamer  Victoria  and  the  pilot  of  the  steamer  Bella,  both 
of  which  steamers  were  at  the  time  in  winter  quarters  at  this  i)oiiit,  and 
during  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  made  another  attempt  to  go  up 
the  river.  They  left  about  1  p.  ui.,  and  at  5  p.  m.  had  progressed  only 
about  one  mile  above  Circle  City.  "What  happened  there  is  best  told 
in  the  words  of  one  wlio  was  aboard  of  her.  He  said:  "  When  we  left 
Circle  City  the  new  engineer  placed  the  safety  valve  at  140  pounds,  20 
pounds  higher  pressure  than  she  had  been  run  with  previously.  At  a 
sharp  bend  in  the  river,  about  a  mile  above  Circle  City,  the  boat  was 
unable  to  make  any  headway  against  the  current.  At  this  point  a 
steam  connection  above  the  boiler  began  to  leak.  The  fireman  noticed 
this,  and  cried,  'Save  yourselves;  the  boiler  is  bursting.'  A  wild 
stampede  occurred  among  the  passengers  and  everyone  hjst  his  wits. 
The  pilot  attempted  to  land  the  boat,  but  before  he  reached  the  shore 
ice  the  boat  struck  a  bar  and  hung  helplessly  there,  about  twenty  feet 
from  the  "ice  along  the  shore.  Here  the  crew  worked  all  night  taking 
the  cargo  from  the  boat,  and  eventually  lightened  her  enough  to  get 
her  oft'  the  bar.  The  next  morning  they  reloaded  her  and  returned  to 
Circle  City,  wiser  men  by  an  additional  day's  experience." 


If  this 
river  sha 
venture, 

A  larg 
lance  of : 
stages  of 
For  boat 
the  Koyi 
Stewart 
inches,  ai 
high  wat( 
a  distanc 
by  boats 
tance  of  i 
is  not  pog 
which  are 
The  Trail 
building 
(Hootalin 
necessary 
the  moutl 
surveyor 
October, : 
water  in 
a  half  fe( 
soundings 
of  217  mi 
medium  s 
navigate  l 
head  of  I 
that  some 
shallow  bi 
Thus  it 
vast  systt 
and  navig 
in  mind  th 
that  may 
magniflcei 
be  the  mos 
mineral  zo 
The  onlj 
able  in  tlii 
used  last 
failure  on 
large  num 
river,  bein 
of  light  le 


THE   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


413 


'  i 


If  this  statement  of  our  difficulties  in  navigating  this  slightly  known 
river  shall  prove  of  any  value  to  others  who  are  contemplating  a  like 
venture,  we  shall  have  been  amply  repaid  for  its  preparation. 

A  large  number  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Yukon  arc  navigable  for  a  dis- 
tance of  from  50  to  400  miles.  The  Tanana  can  be  ascended  at  ordinary 
stages  of  water  to  the  last-named  distance  by  boats  drawing  four  feet. 
For  boats  drawing  three  feet  the  Andreafski  is  npin-igable  for  100  miles, 
the  Koyukuk  for  300  miles,  and  the  Porcupine  for  155  miles.  The 
Stewart  Eiver  can  be  navigated  220  miles  by  boats  drawing  thirty 
inches,  and  boats  of  like  character  can  ascend  the  Pelly  250  miles  in 
high  water.  White  Eiver  is  navigable  for  boats  drawing  three  feet  to 
a  distance  of  150  miles  in  high  water.  Lewes  Eiver  can  be  navigated 
by  boats  drawing  thirty  inches  from  its  mouth  to  Eink  Kapid,s,  a  dis- 
tance of  fifty-three  miles.  In  the  opinion  of  experienced  river  men  it 
is  not  possible  to  take  a  boat  through  Eink  and  Five  Finger  Eai)ids, 
which  are  about  six  miles  apart,  although,  as  stated  in  the  section  on 
The  Trails,  it  is  authentically  reported  that  Canadian  capitalists  are 
building  boats  to  run  from  the  head  of  Lake  Teslin  down  tlie  Teslin 
(Ilootalinqua)  and  the  Lewes  to  Dawson.  If  this  be  so,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  line  the  boats  through  both  rapids.  The  distance  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Tesliu  to  the  head  of  Lake  Teslin  is  332  miles,  and  a 
surveyor  of  the  Dominion  Government,  who  came  down  the  river  in 
October,  reports  that  he  found  from  one  to  twenty-eight  ftithoms  of 
water  in  the  lake,  which  is  105  miles  long,  and  not  less  than  five  and 
a  half  feet  in  the  river,  which  was  at  low  stage  at  the  time  of  the 
soundings.  From  Five  Fingers  to  the  White  Horse  Eapids,  a  distance 
of  217  miles,  boats  of  three-foot  draft  would  have  no  difficulty  at  a 
medium  stage  of  water,  while  boats  of  four-foot  draft  could  successfnUy 
navigate  the  upi)er  river  from  (xrand  Canyon  through  '^';e  lakes  to  the 
head  of  Lake  Bennett,  a  distance  of  ninty-nine  miles.  It  is  possible 
that  some  dredging  would  be  necessary  to  enable  boats  to  get  over  the 
shallow  bars  at  the  foot  of  two  or  three  of  the  lakes. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Yukon  and  its  tributaries  constitute  a 
vast  system  of  waterways  of  about  4,000  miles  in  aggregate  length 
and  navigable  for  boats  of  from  200  to  800  tons,  and  it  sliould  be  borne 
iu  mind  that  there  are  numerous  streams  which  have  not  been  explored 
that  may  eventually  bring  the  figure  to  5,000  miles  or  more.  This 
magnificent  network  of  navigable  rivers  must  in  the  nature  of  things 
be  the  most  important  factor  in  the  future  development  of  the  greatest 
mineral  zone  on  the  American  continent. 

The  only  practical  means  of  transportation  for  long  distances  avail- 
able in  this  country  during  the  winter  is  the  dog  team.  Horses  were 
used  last  winter  between  Circle  City  and  Dawson,  but  they  pioved  a 
failure  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  securing  feed.  Dogs  are  used  in 
large  numbers  for  freighting  t'^  the  mines  and  between  points  on  the 
river,  being  attiiched  to  sleds  by  means  of  a  simple  harness  construcied 
of  light  leather  or  strips  of  (sanvas.    The  standard  sled  is  seven  feet 


;i 


* 


i 


■L^ 


nBH 


414 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPABTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


I 
1 


long,  sixteen  inches  wide,  and  five  inches  in  height,  made  of  birch  and 
shod  with  steel  or  brass.  The  usual  number  of  dogs  in  a  team  is  four, 
but  quite  frequently  six  or  eight  are  used  and  sometimes  even  more.  A 
good  dog  team  will  draw  200  pounds  to  the  dog,  including  the  ramp 
outlit,  and  from  twenty  to  thirty  miles  a  day  can  be  made  on  a  good 
trail.  The  dogs  are  fed  on  dried  salmon,  when  obtainable,  the  allow- 
ance to  a  dog  being  about  two  pounds  per  day.  Owing  to  the  poor 
local  run  of  salmon  during  the  past  season  dog  feed  is  very  scarce,  and 
it  is  necessary  to  resort  to  the  use  of  bacon,  lard,  and  rice,  which  brings 
the  cost  of  feeding  a  dog  up  to  about  $1  per  day.  As  there  are  no 
trails  except  from  points  on  the  river  to  the  mines,  it  is  necessary,  in 
order  to  reach  the  coast,  to  travel  over  the  ice  on  the  river.  The  Yukon, 
like  all  long  rivers  flowing  north,  freezes  flrst  at  the  mouth,  and  the 
mush  ice  from  the  headwaters  is  cauglit  by  the  solid  ice  toward  the 
mouth  and  piled  up  in  Jagged  ridges  from  five  to  twenty  feet  in  height. 
When  the  river  finally  closes  these  ridges  occur  every  mile  or  so  and  at 
every  bend,  while  the  intervening  stretches  present  an  indescribably 
rough  surface,  composed  of  up  edged  ice  cakes.  In  order  to  travel  on 
the  ice  at  all  one  must  wait  until  the  snow  falls  to  a  sufficient  depth  to 
fill  up  the  rough  places,  and  then  a  trail  has  to  be  broken  by  the  use  of 
snowshoes  before  the  dogs  can  draw  the  sleds.  Although  the  river 
generally  freezes  over  by  November  1,  it  is  seldom  that  the  trail  is  in 
good  condition  before  Ohristmus.  The  journey  from  Circle  City  to 
Juneau,  a  distance  of  865  miles,  has  been  made  in  twenty-seven  days, 
but  the  usual  time  is  from  forty  to  fifty  days.  During  January  and 
February  the  temperature  frequently  drops  to  60  or  70  degrees  below 
zero,  and  the  trip  is  one  that  few  men  care  to  undertake. 

As  there  are  many  practical  men  on  the  Yukon  who  have  declared 
their  intention  of  remaining  in  the  valley  until  they  can  ride  to  the 
coast  in  a  Pullman,  it  may  be  pardonable  for  one  who  knows  less  than 
they  of  the  difficulties  involved  to  refer  to  the  subject  of  a  possible 
railway.  There  is  a  very  strong  im-^ession  here,  born  more  of  ho])e, 
perhaps,  than  of  positive  information,  that  steps  will  soon  be  taken  to 
construct  a  railroad  from  the  head  of  Lynn  Canal,  by  way  of  Chilkat 
Pass  and  the  Dalton  trail,  to  Fort  Selkirk.  Some  hervy  grading  would 
be  required  from  Pyramid  Harbor  to  the  summit  of  Chilkat  Pass,  a 
distance  of  seventy-five  miles.  From  Chilkat  Pass  to  the  Yukon,  by 
the  proposed  route,  is  about  325  miles,  and  those  who  have  passed 
over  the  trail  state  that  but  few  expensive  cuts  Avould  be  necessary,  as 
the  country  for  the  most  part  is  made  up  of  low  rolling  hills  and 
prairies,  and  very  little  bridging  wcuid  be  required.  The  greatest 
advantage  which  a  road  striking  the  Yukon  at  Fort  Selkirk  would 
have  over  one  entering  the  country  by  the  Taku  route,  or  from  the 
Slikcen  to  the  head  of  Lake  Teslin,  would  be  that  it  would  avoid  the 
rapids  in  the  Lewes  Kiver.  It  would  solve  the  problem  of  transporta- 
tion for  the  ui  per  river  section  as  far  north  as  Forty  Mile,  as  light- 


draft  stei 

Mile  for  ] 

Captai: 

has  made 

tion  of  a 

to  the  Ta 

an  officei 

route  iu 

the  Tanai 

Circle  Cii 

The  dista 

the  Tanai 

The  short 

the  open  { 

and  inter 

Captain  ] 

Tan  an  a,  a] 

the  trade 

but  iu  Bri 

to  the  Yul 

American 

chants  woi 

in  Northw 

of  all  of  !< 

supplies  a 

aged,  bein 

railroad  bj 

eration  of 


Aside  fr( 
hardship  i 
against  wli 
service.  1 
letter  serv 
$0,999  for  t 
conditions 

«It  is  pror 
the  next  few 
ou  March  29, 
Alaska,  nt  au 
trips  n  uioiil 
obligates  hill 
supplies  and 
carriers,  and 
principal  inti 
Territory,  au 
cstublishmeni 


m 


THE    ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


ilS 


415 


draft  steamers  could  ply  between  tUe  terminus  of  the  road  ajid  Forty- 
Mile  for  live  months  in  the  year,  making  two  round  trips  a  week. 

Captain  Kay,  who  has  given  a  good  deal  of  thought  to  the  subject, 
has  made  two  reports  to  his  Department,  recommending  the  construc- 
tion of  a  railroad  from  the  head  of  Cook  Inlet  or  Prince  William  Sound 
to  the  Tanana  River  and  thence  to  Circle  City,  and  he  has  asked  that 
an  officer  of  the  Engineer  Corps  be  sent  to  make  a  survey  of  tlie 
route  in  the  spring,  in  time  to  cooperate  with  him.  The  Indians  of 
the  Tanana  pass  to  and  fro  over  the  proposed  route  all  winter,  both  to 
Circle  City  and  to  the  trading  post  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sushetna. 
The  distance  by  this  trail  from  the  head  of  Cook  Inlet  to  the  moutli  of 
the  Tanana  is  about  350  miles,  and  to  Circle  City  about  450  miles. 
The  shortness  of  this  route,  and  the  fact  that  it  communicates  with 
the  open  sea,  is  entirely  in  our  own  country,  can  be  operated  all  winter, 
and  intersects  our  richest  mining  districts,  commend  it  strongly  to 
Captain  Bay's  favor.  By  making  a  terminal  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Tanana,  and  another  at  Circle  City,  American  merchants  can  dominate 
the  trade  of  the  entire  Yukon  Valley,  not  only  in  our  own  country, 
but  in  British  North  America.  The  completion  of  a  Canadinu  railroad 
to  the  Yukon  would  be  disastrous  to  American  trade  in  this  seccion,  as 
American  products  would  be  discriminated  against  Jind  Canadian  mer- 
chants would  do  in  Alaska  what  American  merchants  are  now  doing 
in  Northwest  Territory.  As  the  development  of  the  mining  industries 
of  all  of  Northern  Alaska  is  paralyzed  by  the  lack  of  sufficient  food 
supplies  at  reasonable  prices — the  commercial  companies,  as  now  man- 
aged, being  unable  to  meet  even  the  present  demand — the  project  of  a 
railroad  by  the  Cook  Inlet  route  should  commend  itself  to  the  consid- 
eration of  American  capitalists. 

ft 

THE  UNITED  STATES  MAIL. 

Aside  from  the  all-important  question  of  the  food  supply,  the  greatest 
hardship  imposed  upon  the  people  of  the  Yukon  basin,  and  the  one 
against  which  the  most  general  comidaint  is  heard,  is  the  poor  mail 
service.  The  mail  contract  for  the  Circle  City  route  calls  for  a  monthly 
letter  service  between  Juneau  and  Circle  City,  at  a  compensation  of 
$0,099  for  the  year — an  absurdly  inadequate  amount  under  the  abnormal 
conditions  existing  here,  (a)    On  account  of  the  high  compensation 

alt  is  proj^er  to  say  that  the  conditions  relating  to  the  mail  service,  set  forth  in 
the  next  few  >ges,  will  uo  longer  exist  after  July  1, 1898.  The  Postmaster-General, 
on  March  29,  1898,  awarded  a  contract  for  carrying  the  mails  from  Juneau  to  Weare, 
Alaska,  at  an  annual  compensation  of  $56,000.  The  contract  provides  for  two  round 
trips  a  month  for  a  period  of  four  years,  beginning  July  1,  1898.  The  ODUtractor 
obligates  himself  to  provide  supply  and  relief  stations  and  to  stock  them  with  ample 
supplies  and  provisions,  reindeer,  and  dogs.  The  contract  also  calls  for  Laplanders, 
carriers,  and  dog  teams  in  suflficicnt  numbers  to  insure  regularity  of  service.  Tlie 
principal  intermediate  points  on  the  route  are  Dawson  and  Forty  Mile,  Northwest 
Territory,  and  Circle  City,  Alaska.  The  Can.adian  Government  has  conscntid  to  the 
establishment  of  necessary  supply  stations  ou  her  tenitory. 


:     i 


li 

■\i 

i  •' 

1 

JLJ 


416 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


I    '' 


demauded  by  carriers,  the  great  cost  of  supplies,  and  the  immense 
prices  which  dogs  command,  it  is  impossible  for  a  contractor  to  make 
any  profit  on  a  yearly  contract  at  a  less  rate  than  $25,000.  If  the  con- 
tract were  extended  over  a  period  of  years  the  service  could  be  per- 
formed for  less,  perhaps,  as  the  contractor  would  then  be  justified  in 
making  proper  preparations  in  the  way  of  tlie  establishment  of  stations, 
the  purchase  of  dog  teams,  etc.,  which  he  can  not  do  under  a  yearly  con- 
tract and  at  present  prices.  At  least  seven  round  trips  during  the  year 
must  be  made  on  the  ice,  and  as  a  round  trijj  consumes  from  three  to 
four  months,  it  is  necessary  to  have  four  carriers  constantly  on  the  road. 
It  is  essential  that  their  wages  be  sufficiently  large  to  make  it  an  object 
to  return  to  Juneau;  otherwise  they  are  apt  to  remain  here  and  let  the 
outgoing  mail  accumulate,  to  be  taken  out  by  the  first  steamboat  in  the 
summer.  A  dog  team  such  as  would  be  required  for  the  service  costs 
at  least  $1,500,  and  four  of  these  would  represent  an  initial  outlay  of 
$0,000,  or  nearly  as  much  as  the  present  contract  allows.  In  addition 
to  the  carrier  an  Indian  would  have  to  be  employed  to  accompany  each 
team,  to  handle  the  dogs  or  break  trail,  at  a  cost  of  $100  or  $125  i)er 
month  and  subsistence.  Under  the  most  expeditious  schedule  that 
could  be  arranged  it  is  probable  that  for  seven  months  in  the  year  at 
least  eight  men — four  carriers  and  four  Indians — would  be  constantly 
under  pay,  at  an  aggregate  cost  in  wages  and  subsistence  of  not  less 
than  $1,500  per  month.  The  expenses  during  the  four  or  five  months 
that  small  boats  can  be  used  on  the  upper  river  would  be  considerably 
less;  but  it  is  probable  that  the  outlay  in  wages  of  carriers  and  Indians 
and  the  subsistence  of  men  and  dogs  would  reach  fully  $18,000  per  year. 
These  figures  are  not  given  haphazard,  but  are  based  on  careful  calcu- 
lations made  by  men  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  conditions,  two  or 
three  of  whom  have  carried  the  mail  and  know  whereof  they  sjieak, 
and  one  of  whom,  after  an  experience  of  three  months  as  a  subcon- 
tractor, at  a  time  when  the  compensation  was  larger  than  it  is  now, 
found  himself  $3,200  out  of  pocket. 

Mr.  Joseph  Demars,  the  mail  carxier  who  brought  in  the  mail  which 
left  Juneau  September  G,  arrived  here  October  12.  He  left  Juneau 
August  6,  with  the  mail  for  that  month,  being  assured  by  the  contractor 
that  he  would  find  supply  stations  every  hundred  miles  all  the  way  to 
Circle  City.  On  his  arrival  at  Lake  Bennett,  where  he  supposed  he 
would  find  supplies  and  a  boat,  he  learned  that  these  had  not  been 
provided,  and  was  forced  to  pay  out  all  the  money  he  had  with  him 
for  passage  to  Dawson.  He  was  practically  i>enniless,  and  without 
food,  suitable  clothing,  or  blankets.  His  entire  equipment,  as  he 
tersely  puts  it,  consisted  of  Uncle  Sam's  mail  bag,  a  gun,  a  fishing 
line,  and  his  past  experience.  He  reached  Dawson  August  20,  where 
he  concluded  to  remain  a  mouth  in  order  to  earn  enough  money  to  pay 
his  way  to  Circle  City,  turning  over  the  August  mail  to  the  carrier  who 
had  preceded  him,  and  who  had  also  been  forced  to  stop  in  Dawson  for 


a  month's 

Mr.  Denmi 

lately  pow 

one  blamef 

for  the  pre 

As  a  con 

are  forced 

per  letter, 

destinatior 

country  ar( 

lowing  not 

commercial 

kind  of  ma 

Circle  City 

send  I  will 

the  mail  wi 

who  signed 

to  carry  th 

gusted  witl 

picked  up  t 

_  especially  i 

through  at 

of  his  servii 

on  the  outs 

doubtful  ca 

On  accou 

each  of  th< 

a  man  to  t 

Indians  and 

sitions  and 

American 

causes  greai 

friends  in  tl 

City  sack  at 

returned  to 

tainly  must 

authorities 

betw<}en  th( 

mail  for  nea: 

delivery. 

This  uusa 
side.  There 
outside  for  n 
every  reasoi 
folks  at  hom 
buuou  of  ma 


which 
funeaa 
tractor 
way  to 
seel  he 
been 
th  him 
without 
as  he 
fishing 
where 
to  pay 
er  who 
sou  for 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


417 


a  month's  employment  before  proceeding  to  this  place.  As  stated, 
Mr.  Demars  reached  Circle  Oity  October  12,  and  ho  is  still  here,  abso- 
lutely powerless,  through  lack  of  e(iuipment,  to  return  to  Juneau.  No 
one  blames  him,  but  some  severe  criticisms  of  others  more  responsible 
for  the  present  state  of  afl'airs  are  heard. 

As  a  cousequeuce  of  the  absence  of  proper  postal  facilities,  the  people 
are  forced  to  send  their  mail  ou!  by  private  parties,  usually  paying  $1 
per  lettei',  with  no  assurance  that  their  letters  will  ever  reach  their 
destination.  A  very  large  proportion  of  the  letters  coming  into  the 
country  are  received  through  the  same  uncertain  channels.  The  fol- 
lowing notice,  taken  from  the  bulletin  board  in  front  of  one  of  the 
commercial  companies'  stores  at  Oircle  City,  gives  a  fair  idea  of  the 
kind  of  mail  service  our  citizens  are  forced  to  employ:  "I  will  leave 
Circle  City  for  Jiineaa  in  a  few  days.  Any  person  having  letters  to 
send  I  will  mail  for  $1  per  letter.  In  case  1  do  not  get  beyond  Dawson 
the  mail  will  be  turned  over  to  reliable  parties  going  out."  As  the  man 
who  signed  this  notice  was  an  individual  who  formerly  had  a  contract 
to  carry  the  mail  from  Juneau  to  Circle  City,  and  who,  becoming  dis- 
gusted with  the  job,  dropped  the  mail  bag  ou  the  trail,  where  it  was 
picked  up  the  following  summer  by  his  successor,  it  might  be  supposed, 
especially  in  view  of  his  own  uncertainty  as  to  whether  he  would  go 
through  at  all,  that  not  many  would  have  seen  lit  to  avail  themselves 
of  his  services,  but  so  great  was  the  desire  tv^  com..  iUnicate  with  friends 
ou  the  outside  that  a  large  number  of  persons  committed  letters  to  his 
doubtful  care. 

On  account  of  the  inadequacy  and  unreliability  of  the  mail  service 
each  of  the  commercial  companies  is  obliged  every  winter  to  send 
a  man  to  the  outside  world,  at  an  expense  of  $1,500  or  $2,000,  for 
Indians  and  dogs,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  ^o  the  home  office  requi- 
sitions and  information  as  to  the  necessities  of  \i\ie  business. 

American  citizens  in  Dawson  complain  bitterly  of  a  regulation  which 
causes  great  delay  in  the  receipt  of  letters  addressed  to  them  by  their 
friends  in  the  United  States.  All  such  letters  are  placed  in  the  Circle 
City  sack  at  Juneau,  brought  through  Dawson  to  Circle  City  and  then 
returned  to  Dawson  for  distribution.  This  arrangement,  which  cer- 
tainly must  be  based  on  a  misconception  on  the  part  of  the  postal 
authorities  of  the  distance  and  the  difticulties  of  communication 
betv'ien  the  two  places,  involves  a  useless  transportation  of  Dawson 
mail  for  nearly  600  miles  and  a  delay  of  from  sixty  to  ninety  days  in  its 
delivery. 

This  unsatisfactory  condition  relative  to  the  mail  has  its  pathetic 
side.  There  are  hundreds  of  men  here  who  have  not  heard  from  the 
outside  for  many  months,  in  some  cases  even  years,  although  they  have 
every  reason  to  believe  they  are  not  forgotten  or  neglected  by  the 
folks  at  home.  One  man,  who  was  closely  observed  at  the  last  distri- 
buuon  of  mail,  turned  sadly  away  as  the  last  name  was  called,  and  with 


i« 


l\ 


418 


BULLETIN   OP   THE   DEPARTMENT    OF    LABOR. 


li 


sobH  in  his  voice  said  to  <'vii  acquaintance  standing  by,  '^  I  bave  been 
here  eighteen  months  and  have  not  liad  a  single  word  from  home."  By- 
reason  of  the  wear  from  constant  handling,  most  of  the  letters  brought 
in  by  private  parties  are  stripped  of  their  envelopes  by  the  time  they 
reach  their  destination.  At  Dawson,  previous  to  tlie  Ist  of  last  October, 
there  were  three  places  in  the  town  where  mail  was  distributed — at  the 
stores  of  the  two  commercial  companies  and  at  Carey's  saloon.  In  each 
of  these  places  the  boxes  were  filled  with  letters  without  envelopes,  and 
therefore  in  many  cases  with  nothing  to  identify  the  persons  to  whom 
they  were  written.  One  letter,  which  will  servo  as  a  sample,  was 
written  in  an  Eastern  city  in  June,  1894,  opening  with  *'  My  darling 
boy,"  and  closing  with,  "Your  anxious,  but  ever  loving  mother."  The 
inquisitive  reader,  who  wonders  how  even  so  much  of  the  contents  of  a 
private  letter  could  become  known  to  a  conscientious  third  person, 
should  bear  in  mind  that  all  such  letters  as  that  described  are  read  at 
least  casually  by  hundreds  of  men  in  the  hope  of  finding  letters  that 
they  know  must  have  been  written  to  them.  On  October  1  the  mounted 
ix)lice  at  Dawson  took  charge  of  the  mail,  and  it  is  iirobable  that  the 
condition  there  has  somewhat  improved. 

Daring  the  navigation  season  a  letter,  newspaper,  and  package  mail 
service  is  performed  by  the  steamers  on  the  Yiikon,  which  relieves  the 
isolation  somewhat,  but  for  seven  or  eight  months  in  the  yejir  the  peo- 
ple of  the  Yukon  Basin  ar6  practically  shut  off  from  communication 
wit  ix  the  outside  world. 

On  Christmas  Eve,  two  or  three  weeks  after  the  above  was  written, 
a  mail  containing  960  letters  arrived  in  Circle  City.  The  carrier  who 
brouf^l't  this  mail  in  left  .Juneau  October  5  and  reached  Dawson  about 
the  middle  of  November  in  an  exhausted  condition,  which  necessitated 
his  enterinjg  the  hospital  for  treatment,  the  mail  being  turned  over  to 
a  freighter,  who  brought  it  to  this  place.  There  are  many  people  here 
who  had  instructed  their  correspondents  to  address  them  at  Dawson, 
and  but  few  of  this  class  received  any  mail,  as  the  authorities  at  Daw- 
son failed  to  forward  their  letters. 

A  word  in  this  connection  to  thoughtful  friends  in  the  States :  Nearly 
every  letter  received  here  from  the  outside  contains  one  or  more  news- 
paper clippings,  and  with  rare  exceptions  these  clippings  relate  to  tlie 
Klondike,  a  subject  with  which  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  the  average 
man  on  the  Yukon  is  infinitely  more  familiar  than  newspaper  writers 
in  Eastern  cities,  to  say  nothing  of  the  fact  that  the  current  news  here 
is  from  sixty  to  ninety  days  younger  than  that  contained  in  the  clip- 
pings. It  is  respectfully  suggested  that  it  would  be  far  more  satisfac- 
tory to  the  people  here  if  their  friends  would  send  them  clippings 
giving  the  details  of  recent  events  of  general  interest  in  the  outside 
world. 


APPEND 

The  witl 
the  Chanil 
the  reques 

The  Cha 

itself  at  tl 

any  and  ai; 

it  may  hav 

Bespectfi 


In  the  ai 
wilderness, 
tangled  und 
club,"  a  ms 
its  only  inh 
Juneau,  proj 
Gold  Creek 
quartz.    Thi 
the  first  ho 
December  4, 
the  town  ini 
given  to  th< 
to  Rockwell, 
the  fall  of 
in  the  camp, 
due  him,  hel< 
Eockwell  to 
By  the  bej 
about  thirty 
Some  of  thoi 
voyage,  owiu 
latitude  duri 
having  no  eh; 
every  bay  an 
blown  ashor* 
and  most  of 
was  consume^ 
frequent  occii 
aces  which  p 
can  scarcely 
by  the  piouee 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


41» 


APPENDIX— REPORT   OF    THE    CHAMBER   OF   COMMERCE 

OP  JUNEAU,  ALASKA. 

The  within  sketch  of  the  resources  of  Juneau  has  been  compiled  by 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Ahiska,  and  la  respectfully  sent  to,  and  by 
the  request  of,  the  Department  of  Labor,  Washington,  Y).  C. 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  takes  extreme  pleasure  in  ever  holding 
itself  at  the  commands  of  the  Department,  and  will  willingly  furnish 
any  and  all  data  and  information  resxiecting  this  coast  of  Alaska  that 
it  may  have  in  its  possession. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

L.  G.  Kaufman, 
Secretary  Alaska  Chamber  of  Commerce. 


In  the  autumn  of  1880  the  site  of  this  present  thriving  city  was  a 
wilderness,  covered  with  a  forest  of  standing  timber  and  a  dense, 
tangled  undergrowth  of  alder,  salmou-berry  bushes,  and  thorny  '  devil 
club,"  a  mass  almost  impenetrable  even  to  the  beasts  which  were 
its  only  inhabitants.  It  was  then  that  Richard  T.  Harris  and  Joseph 
Juneau,  prospecting  along  the  shores  of  Gastineau  Channel,  discovered 
Gold  Creek  and,  following  up  its  rocky  canyon,  found  rich  placer  and 
quartz.  The  news  of  the  discovery  brought  others  to  the  scene,  and 
the  first  house  was  brought,  ready  framed,  from  Sitka,  and  put  up 
December  4,  1881,  by  George  E.  Pilz,  since  deceased.  The  building  of 
the  town  immediately  followed  the  discovery  of  gold.  The  first  name 
given  to  the  place  was  Harrisburg,  but  shortly  after  it  was  changed 
to  Rockwell,  after  one  of  the  naval  officers  then  stationed  at  Sitka.  In 
i)he  fall  of  1881  the  citizens,  thinking  that  one  of  the  discoverers 
in  the  camp,  Joseph  Juneau,  had  not  received  the  full  measure  of  honor 
due  him,  held  a  meeting  and  again  changed  the  name  of  the  town,  from 
Rockwell  to  Juneau. 

By  the  beginning  of  1882  the  population  of  Juneau  had  increased  to 
about  thirty  persons,  principally  miners  from  Wraugell  and  Sitka. 
Some  of  those  from  Sitka  were  thirty  days,  or  even  more,  making  the 
voyage,  owing  to  the  rough  weather  which  frequently  prevails  in  that 
latitude  during  the  winter  months.  One  party  lost  its  course,  and 
having  no  chart  went  nearly  around  Admiralty  Island,  exploring  almost 
every  bay  and  inlet  between  Sitka  and  Juneau.  Another  party  was 
blown  ashore  on  an  island  in  Stephens  Passage,  the  canoe  wrecked, 
and  most  of  the  effects  washed  away  by  the  surf,  and  over  a  month 
was  consumed  in  completing  the  trip.  Other  similar  disasters  were  of 
frequerxt  occurrence.  One  coming  to  Alaska  now  on  the  floating  pal- 
aces which  ply  regularly  between  her  ports  and  the  centers  of  trade 
can  scarcely  realize  the  hardships,  privations,  and  siiU'erings  endured 
by  the  pioneers  of  the  district.    The  sole  capital  of  many  of  these  men 


i  I 


420 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR. 


consisted  of  a  sack  of  flom*,  a  side  of  bacon,  a  few  pounds  of  beans,  an 
ax,  pick,  shovel,  and  canoe.  Tlie  lianlahips  did  not  discourage  tliese 
sturdy  men,  for  they  knew  that  gold,  and  plenty  of  it,  lay  in  the  basin 
above  them,  and  they  set  to  work  cutting  down  the  raonarchs  of  the 
forest  and  building  cabins  for  their  shelter  during  the  long  months  of 
the  approaching  winter. 

Several  cabins  were  constructed  during  that  fall,  a  few  of  which  are 
Btill  to  be  found  on  the  town  site,  but  the  greater  number  have  been 
replaced  by  large,  substantial  buildings.  These  cabins,  while  small, 
are  not  in  the  least  uncomfortable  in  which  to  spend  the  iOng  winter 
months  of  Alaska,  and  many  a  pleasant  evening  was  spent  during  that 
season  by  these  few  pioneers  who  unconsciously  located  what  was  soim 
to  be  the  metropolis  of  the  district,  the  picturesque,  progressive,  and 
important  city  of  Juneau.  Although  the  selection  of  the  town  site 
was  made  without  reference  to  natural  advantages  except  its  proximity 
to  the  basin  passes,  it  is  yet  true  that  had  the  sole  object  of  these  pio- 
neers been  the  selection  of  a  site  lor  a  purely  commercial  instead  of  a 
mining  town,  no  more  perfectly  adapted  place  could  be  found,  either  as 
a  distributing  point  for  the  surrounding  mines  a  id  for  the  interior  or 
for  the  transshipment  of  goods  to  other  coasts  or  inland  points.  A 
sheltered  harbor  with  good  anchorage,  ample  facilities  for  wharf  con- 
struction, central  location,  and  many  other  natural  advantages  leave 
little  to  be  wished  for. 

The  first  miners'  meeting  ever  held  in  Alaska  convened  in  the  "Flag 
of  All  Nations"  in  February,  1881.  At  that  meeting  a  code  of  mining 
laws  was  framed  for  the  Harris  mining  district,  which  district  includes 
all  of  southeastern  Alaska  except  the  districts  of  Sitka  and  Wrangell, 
and  Richard  T.  Harris  was  elected  the  first  recorder  of  the  district. 
R.  Dixon  and  Judge  Henry  States  succeeded  Harris.  John  G.  Held 
was  the  next  recorder  chosen  by  the  people,  and  served  a  term  as  such 
for  several  years. 

Juneau  is  the  only  city  in  Alaska  which  has  been  granted  a  United 
States  patent  for  its  town  site.  The  town-site  entry  was  made  October 
13,  1893,  under  the  act  of  March  3, 1891.  John  Olds  was  the  first 
trustee  appointed,  who  was  succeeded  by  Karl  Koehler,  and  was  in 
turn  succeeded  by  the  present  incumbent,  Thomas  E.  Lyon.  A  patent 
for  the  town  site  was  issued  September  4, 1897,  and  about  the  middle 
of  October  the  first  deeds  for  town  lots  in  Juneau  were  issued.  The 
patentable  acreage  in  the  town  site  of  Juneau  was  108.49. 

By  reason  of  her  favorable  situation,  with  respect  to  the  immense 
adjacent  quartz  mines  and  as  the  supply  and  transfer  point  for  the  inte- 
rior, Juneau  has,  in  the  short  period  since  the  first  discovery  of  gold  in 
Silver  Bow  Basin,  gained  a  supremacy  in  population  and  a  commercial 
importance  far  in  excess  of  any  other  city  north  of  Puget  Sound. 
Juneau. is  the  key  city  of  the  far  northwest — a  busy,  business-like,  cos- 
mopolitan town  of  about  3,000  permanent  residents.  The  i^opnlation  is 
largely  augmented  during  the  winter  season  by  prospectors  and  miners 


who  arc 

their  sii 

attracto 

three  ye 

until  no^ 

there  hj 

blocks,  < 

The  prii 

'iHve  sid 

f'lruishes 

t'9ni,  exj;< 

tiomestio 

onghly  e(] 

lutest  par 

h'  fire. 

Tn  the 
:!)laced  at 
^»ater  su[ 
tion  as  to 
«>ty  oi"  fir 
buildings, 
tlio  ni;,'ht, 
tion.    In  J 

supply  the 
inaiiufactu 
j^ed,  conne 
the  town,  A 
situntod  01 
with  the  li 
from  the  ci 
Juneau, i 
racility  foui 
iiesifles  the 
'naiiitained 
tioiia  holds 
situated,  ai: 
Charity;   oi 
iati'st  readi] 
ber  of  Comi 
sionnl  men 
financial  int 
Three  pri 
atoamers  re^ 
this  town,  g; 
Avoek.    Thre 
these  steame 
feet,  and  its 
4584- 


THE    ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


421 


imense 
le  inte- 
gold  in 
nercial 
Sound. 

ce,  cos- 
kition  ia 

miners 


wlio  are  prevented  by  the  severity  of  the  diinato  from  the  pursuit  of 
their  summer  callings  and  in  summer  by  tourists  who  Hock  hither,* 
attracted  by  the  grandeur  of  its  unsurpassed  scenery.  During  the 
three  years  just  passed  Juneau  has  had  a  marked  and  steady  growth, 
until  now,  instead  of  the  miners'  cabins  and  the  makeshift  trading  stores 
there  have  appeared  substantial  residences  and  modern  business 
blocks,  of  which  larger  and  nioro  southern  cities  might  well  bo  proud. 
The  principal  streets  are  laid  with  heavy  plank  pavement;  all  streets 
liHve  sidewalks  of  ample  width;  a  thoroughly  modern  electric  piarn, 
firuishes  the  city  with  both  incandescent  and  arc  lamps;  a  water  sys- 
t'ein,  expelled  by  none  on  the  Pacilic  coast,  furnishes  water  for  bch 
domestic  and  Are  purposes,  and  a  citizen  volunteer  flre  compan-'  ,bor- 
oughly  equipped  with  carts,  ladders,  hose,  flre  extinguishers,  and  all  the 
liitest  paraphernalia,  keen"  i  .reful  watch  that  the  city  is  not  Uevastatcd 
by  flre. 

Tu  the  flre  dei  tment  Juneau  takes  special  pride.  Hydrants  are 
olaced  at  freque«it  intervals  throughout  the  town,  the  very  reliable 
w  ater  supply  being  stored  in  reservoirs  on  the  hillside  at  such  eleva- 
tion as  to  afford  ample  pressure  at  all  points,  thus  obviating  the  neces- 
jaity  of  fire  engines.  The  flre  apparatus  is  well  housed  in  suitable 
buildings.  Watchmen  are  kept  constantly  patroiling  the  city  during 
the  ni^ht,  to  give  instant  alarm  at  the  breaking  out  of  any  conflagra- 
tion. In  addition  to  the  great  flre  protection  afforded  by  the  water 
supply  the  Avaterworks  provide  power  for  more  than  a  dozen  large 
manufacturing  establishments.  A  telephone  system,  liberally  patron- 
ized, connects  Juneau  with  the  mines  in  the  basin  immediately  back  of 
the  town,  with  Douglas  City  and  the  great  Tread  well  group  of  mines 
situated  on  Douglas  Island  immediately  opposite  Juneau,  and  also 
with  the  large  mining  settlement  at  Sheep  Creek,  about  four  miles 
from  the  city. 

Juneau,  through  the  Federal  Government,  offers  every  educational 
i'iicility  found  in  cities  of  corresi)onding  size  in  more  civilized  centers, 
liesifles  the  free  schools,  there  are  a  number  of  educational  institutions 
maintained  by  private  enterprise;  no  less  than  five  religious  organiza- 
tions hold  services  in  their  own  church  buildings;  a  large,  conveniently 
situated,  and  well-appointed  hospital  is  conducted  by  Jhe  Sisters  of 
Charity;  one  free  and  two  private  circulating  libraries  furnish  the 
latest  reading  matter  to  the  residents  of  the  town.  The  Alaska  Chuai- 
ber  of  Commerce,  composed  of  the  representative  business  and  profes- 
Bional  men  of  the  city,  diligently  watches  over  the  commercial  and 
financial  interests  of  the  entire  district. 

Three  principal  and  a  dozen  minor  transportation  companies  run 
steamers  regularly  between  Puget  Sound  and  Pacific  coast  ports  and 
this  town,  giviiig  to  Juneau  an  average  of  about  five  steamers  each 
week.  Three  commodious  wharves  furnish  ample  dock  facilities  for 
these  steamers.  The  largest  wharf  has  a  deep-w  ater  frontage  of  700 
feet,  and  its  warehouse  floors  cover  a  space  of  more  ^han  30,000  square 
4584— No.  IG 9 


:i       ' 


422 


BULLETIN  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LABOR. 


t 


feet.  The  following  report  of  the  Pacific  Coast  Steamship  Company 
'shows  the  amount  of  merchandise  discharged  at  these  wharves  by  this 
company  aloue  daring  the  past  season :  Freight  handled  at  Junoaa'City 
wharves  from  April  1,  1897,  to  April  1, 1898— Received,  16,761  tons; 
forwarded,  3,934  tons;  total,  20,685  tons. 

Exclusive  of  the  various  mining  and  milling  companies  having  their 
principal  place  of  business  in  Juneau,  the  business,  professional,  and 
industrial  interests  of  this  city  may  be  summarized,  as  follows,  each 
establishment  being  enumerated,  once,  only  bona  fide  and  distinct  busi- 
ness establishments  being  enumerated :  ( 

Architects 2 

Assajcrs 2 

Attorneys  at  law 18 

Bakeries 6 

Banksj  St^te 2 

Barber  shops 6 

Blacksmiths 2 

Boardlug  houses 6 

Boat  builder 1 

Bonding  company  (goods  in  transit).  1 

Boot  and  shoe  store  (exclusive) 1 

Breweries 2 

Butcher  shops 4 

Cabinetmakers 2 

Carpesitors  and  builders 10 

Carpet-cleaning  works 2 

Churches 5 

Cijgar  and  tobacco  stores  (exclusive) .  4 

Cigar  factory 1 

Civil  engineers 3 

Coal  bunkers 2 

Confectioners 2 

Curio  and  variety  stores 2 

Dancing  halls 3 

Dentists 3 

Draying  and  freighting 4 

Dressmaking  establislimcnts 6 

Drng  stores 4 

Dry  goods  (exclusive) 1 

Electric  light  and  power  company  i .  1 

l"^uit  and  produce., 3 

Furniture  stores... 3 

Furriers 3 

General  merchandise  and  Yukon  out- 
fitters   12  I 

Alaska  has  all  the  i)rofessional  men,  clerks,  mechanics,  and  laborers 
she  needs  or  can  accommodate  at  the  present  time.  Mining  men 
with  capital  and  prospectors  who  can  biing  a  substantial  stake  and 
who  car  aid  in  thz  development  of  the  country  are  about  the  only 
classes  to  whom  the  field  is  open,  and  to  t'liem  Alaska  offers  splendid 
inducements.  Wages  here  are  not  as  high  as  the  outside  world  seems 
to  suppose,  but  all  comers  nray  be  assured  of  adequate  «/mi>en8ation 
for  their  labors.    Skilled  laborers  are  very  well  paid. 


Groceries  (exclusive) /. . .  ,2 

Guns  and  ammunition ^ 

Hardware  stores fe 

Harness  makers r2 

Hay  and  grain ^v2 

Hospital 1 

Hotels a 

Insurance  offices 

Iron  works  and  machine  shop 

Jewelers  and  watchmakers JJ 

Laundries C/ 

Lodging  houses , V2 

Lumber  yards 9 

Merchandise  brokers G 

Millinery  stores 3 

Newspaper  and  printing  offices 3 

Painters  and  paper  hangers 5 

Photographers 2 

Physicians  and  surgeons G 

Pile  driver  and  marine  builder 1 

Saloons 30 

Shoemakers 5 

Stationery  and  book  store 1 

Steamship  oflBces 3 

Surveyors 

Tailors 

Taxidermist 

Telephone  company 

Theaters 

Title  abstract  company 

Undertaker 


4 

5 

1 

1 

3 

1 

1 

Upholsterers 2 

Woodworker  (other than  carpenter).  1 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


423 


Juneau,  from  its  geographical  situation  and  from  the  number,  expe- 
rience, and  capabilities  of  its  merchants,  is  the  logical  outfitting  and 
supply  point  for  the  mines  of  the  coast  and  the  interior.  The  pros- 
pector, beut  on  exploring  the  gold  regions  of  the  interior,  first  comes  to 
Juneau,  purchases  his  outfit  and  supplies,  aud  then  decides  as  to  which 
youte  he  shall  take  to  the  interior.  Good-sized  boats  ply  regularly 
between  Juneau  and  Wrangell,  Taku  Inlet,  Pyramid  Harbor,  aud  the 
head  of  navigation  on  Lynn  Oanal. 

;  Juneau  is  the  center  of  the  Harris  mining  district.  Tributary  to 
Juneau  is  a  vast  mineral  belt,  upon  which  are  luills  containing,  ap- 
proximately, 1,500  stamps  and  furnishing  employment  to  about  5,000 
T)€ople.  A  short  sketch  of  this  mining  district  msiy  be  of  iuterest  to  the 
department. 

\   Four  miles  from  Juneau,  at  the  head  of  Gold  Creek,  lies  Sil  >-er  Bow 

iWsin,  where  Juneau  and  Harris  made  their  first  discovery  ot  aurif- 

'erous  ([uartz.    Here  the  development  of  properties  has  been  steodily 

.'  carried  forward.    All  the  claims  are  highly  productive  aud  their  per- 

\    manency  assured.    The  first  attempt  at  milling  in  this  basin  was  made 

;    by  the  Johnson  Mill  and  Mining  Company,  which  built  the  first  wagon 

]     road  to  the  falls,  where  it  erected  a  mill  to  work  the  ores  from  the 

/     mines  now  owned  by  the  Ebner  Gold  Mining  Company.     In  1887 

'       George  E.  Pilz  erected  a  small  Huntington  mill  on  the  x)roperty  now 

being  operated  by  the  Alaska-Juneau  Gold  Mining  Company.     The 

veins  of  the  Silver  Bow  Basin  have  a  general  trend  from  southeast 

to  northwest,  with  a  dip  about  three  feet  in  ten,  and  are  classed  as 

contact-flssur«=>  veins,  the  reef  having  a  black  slate  hanging  wall  and 

a  greenish-colored  gneiss  foot  wall.    Between  the  walls  of  the  contact 

a  space  of  several  hundred  feet  intervenes,  which  is  filled  in  with 

schists,  quartz  veins,  and  vein  matter.    The  filling  is  network  from 

knife-blade  seams  to  several  feet  in  thickness,  althongh  the  general 

trend  of  the  main  vein  is  in  the  direction  of  the  strike  on  the  reef. 

The  character  of  the  ore  is  a  sulphurate  of  iron  and  galena,  associated 

to  a  small  degree  witfi  zinc  blende,  antimony,  and  copper  pyrites,  and 

carries  both  gold  and  silver,  although  generally  richer  in  gold. 

Leaving  Silver  Bow  Basin  and  crossing  a  divide  at  an  altitude  of 
3,500  feet  into  Sheep  (.Jreek  Basin,  this  same  vein  increases  greatly  in 
silver,  while  the  amount  of  gold  carried  is  about  the  same.  In  the 
easternmost  workingij  of  the  Silver  Queen,  at  nearly  the  foot  of  the 
range,  is  found  native  and  ruby  silver  and  gray  copper  ores  similar  to 
the  silver  districts  of  Colorado  and  Nebraska;  but,  as  stated  before,  it 
also  runs  w^ll  in  gold,  and  all  milling  of  these  ores  consists  simply  iu 
reducing  their  bulk  by  concentration  and  without  any  free-gold  saving 
appliances.  The  reef  is  located  continuously  from  two  to  three  claims 
in  width  for  a  distance  of  over  six  miles  through  Silver  Bow  Basin  and 
over  the  range  into  Sheep  Creek  Basin  to  the  Silver  Queen,  with  almost 
continuous  surface  croppiugs  the  entire  distance.  Following  still  far- 
ther east  along  the  belt,  where  the  reef  leaves  the  valley  and  climbs 


424 


BULLETIN  OP  THE  DEPARTMENT  OP  LADOR. 


l! 


the  mountain  side,  the  veins  again  crop  to  the  surface,  and  locations  iiro 
strung  out  from  this  point  over  another  high  range  and  through  valleys 
and  over  ridges  to  Taku  Inlet,  a  distance  of  fully  eight  miles.  On  this 
end  are  the  Star  of  Bethlehem,  Last  Chance,  Sheridan,  and  Little 
Queen  locations,  which  show  some  very  rich  gray  copper  ores.  There 
is  no  doubt  of  the  development  of  this  basin  into  one  of  the  leudingt 
quartz  camps  of  Alaska.  ' 

Shuck  Bay  has  produced  large  amounts  of  placer  gold  in  past  years'^ 
though  now  its  leads  are  attracting  considerable  attention.  Of  these 
the  Eed  Wing  group  is  most  advanced  in  development,  located  in  Shuck 
Basin  and  owned  by  the  Windham  Bay  Gold  Mining  Company.  Thiift 
property  was  located  several  years  ago  by  William  Ebner,  of  Juneau, 
and  others,  and  considerpble  development  work  has  been  done  on  the 
same.  The  ore  is  of  a  free  milling  nature,  carrying  iron  and  zinc  blende, 
galena,  a  trace  of  copper  in  combination  with  gold,  and  a  small  per* 
ceutage  of  silver. 

While  the  first  auriferous  quartz  discovered  in  Alaska  was  found 
near  Sitka,  mining  operations  have  never  been  vigorously  prosecuted 
in  Sitka  district.  During  the  past  season  considerable  interest  has 
been  manifested  and  several  very  promising  groups  of  claims  have  been 
bonded  to  Eastern  capitalists,  and  the  coming  season  will  witness  a 
great  deal  of  development  work. 

, !  The  richness  of  the  surface  prospects  in  Sumdum  district,  fifty  miles 
«outh  of  Juneau,  has  inspired  the  gold  seeker  with  great  hope  for  the 
futui'e  of  the  many  located  in  the  vicinity,  and  the  promise  has  boeu' 
fulfilled  in  every  instance  where  development  has  been  made.  Most 
conspicuously  is  this  true  in  the  case  of  the  Bald  Eagle  mine,  which,  a 
mere  prospect  four  years  ago,  has  become  one  of  the  richest  and  best 
paying  properties  on  the  Pacific  coast.  The  ores  carry  very  little  free 
gold,  the  values  lying  entirely  in  sulphurates,  these  being  principally 
pyrites,  though  both. zinc  and  lead  sulphurates  are  present  in  consider- 
able quantities,  the  octagonal  sulphurate  predominating,  this  being  the 
richest  of  all  quartz,  wherever  found.  A  crusher  at  the  mouth  of  the 
adit  discharges  its  product  into  a  flume,  which  conveys  it  to  tlie  mill, 
nearly  a  mile  distant,  at  a  nominal  cost  for  handling;  and  its  richness 
may  be  estimated  by  the  fact  that  the  four  stamps  in  four  days  less  than 
six  months  produced  concentrates  valued  at  a  round  $100,000,  or  nearly 
$17,000  per  month.    The  average  value  of  all  ores  mined  is  $30  i)er  ton. 

Admiralty  Island,  one  of  the  largest  of  the  Alexander  Archipelago, 
lies  south  of  Juneau.  It  is  separated  from  the  mainlard  coast  by  a 
narrow  channel,  and  its  mineral  belt  is  in  common  with  that  of  Douglas 
Island,  lying  north  of  it.  A  number  of  claims  have  been  located  upon 
its  ledges,  .vhich  vary  in  character  from  low  to  medium  grade,  and  in 
size  from  mere  stringers  to  immense  deposits,  approaching  or  even 
exceeding  that  of  the  great  Tread  well.  Funter  Bay,  on  the  west  side  of 
the  island,  is  one  of  the  most  promising  locations. 

Upon  Douglas  Island  there  are  now  dropping  4S0  stamps  in  tlie  mills 


\ 


i 


THE   ALASKAN   GOLD    FIELDS. 


425 


of  the  Treadwell  and  tbo  Mexican  companies,  the  first  of  which  has  made 
this  island  famous  the  world  over.  The  reef  npoii  which  these  mills 
are  located  extends  two-thirds  the  length  of  the  island,  and  upon  it 
have  been  located  numerous  claims.  The  Treadwell  has  recently  let 
\  a  contract  for  the  erection  of  520  additional  stamps,  which,  when  in 
)  operation,  will  make  this  grouj)  of  mines  the  largest  that  the  mining 
world  has  ever  seen. 

Like  the  mother  lode  of  California,  the  mother  lode  of  Alaska,  or  the 
great  mineral  belt  which  extends  aiong  the  coast  of  southeastern  Alaska, 
just  back  from  the  water's  edge,  and  which  never  fails  to  pay  the  care- 
ful prospector,  has  of  course  its  spots  of  unusually  rich  value.  At 
Berners  Bay,  forty  miles  north  of  Juneau,  on  Lynn  Canal^  there  was 
discovered  some  years  ago  ore  of  splendid  promise.  The  principal 
mines  in  this  very  rich  district  are  those  of  the  Berners  Bay  Mining 
and  Milling  Company,  the  Jualin  Mining  and  Milling  Company,  and 
the  Portland  and  Alaska  Mining  and  Milling  Company.  The  Aurora 
fiorealis  has  recently  erected  a  five-stamp  mill  on  its  property  in  this 
/ttiistrict,  which  will  soon  be  ready  for  operation.  The  character  of  the 
Aurora  is  free  milling,  and  is  said  to  bo  one  of  the  most  extensive  and 
richest  paying  veins  in  the  district.  The  Mellin  Mining  and  Manufac- 
turing Company  of  Berners  Bay  will  soon  erect  a  twentystami)  mill  on 
Its  property. 

Many  valuable  locations  have  been  made  in  the  Ketchikan  district, 
though  no  mills  have  yet  been  erected.  It  is  one  of  the  most  promis- 
ing mining  districts  on  the  coast,  and  is  expected  to  add  considerably 
to  Alaska's  gold  output. 

On  the  banks  of  Prince  William  Sound  immense  deposits  of  copper 
have  been  found,  which  bid  fair  to  rival  the  famed  Anaconda  mine. 

The  mining  carried  on  in  the  Lituya  section  is  confined  to  the  beach 
or  ruby  sand  deposits  that  lie  along  the  shore  line,  some  miles  distant 
above  the  entrance  to  the  bay.  The  first  discovery  of  gold  was  made 
there  a  number  of  years  ago,  since  which  time  washing  has  been  car- 
ried on  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  every  season.  The  Lituya  Bay  gold 
commands  the  price  of  $18  per  ounce.  It  is  fine  and  somewhat  scaly, 
but,  being  untarnished  by  rust,  amalgamates  readily,  and  but  a  very 
small  per  cent  is  lost  in  the  tailings.  The  gold  deposited  along  the 
shores  is  brought  there  by  glacial  action  from  the  range  back. 

In  conclusion,  we  wish  to  say  that  but  a  fraction  of  one  per  cent  of 
this  rich  coast  has  ever  felt  the  tread  of  the  pros^yector,  and  a  valuable 
field  for  operations  is  open  to  all  who  may  come.  The  great  success  of 
this  section  of  the  country  has  inspired  the  breasts  of  capitalists  with 
unlimited  confidence  in  this  country,  and  good  undeveloped  prospects 
find  a  ready  sale.  The  chief  virtue  of  prospecting  on  the  coast  of  south- 
eastern Alaska  is  the  ability  to  keep  in  constant  communication  with  a 
distributing  point  1  supplies  and  the  general  evenness  of  the  climate, 
which  is  not  nearly  as  severe  as  the  great  m^'ority  of  mining  settle- 
ments throughout  the  world. 


\' 


fmmmmmmiiii 


